Game On World Off
by cassiebear9925
Summary: I own nothing. NOTHING!
1. Level 0

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there." Matt said non-chalantly, hitting the 'end' button on his cellphone.

"Mello?" I asked, playing with the vinyl headphones hanging around my neck.  
>He nodded slightly, before answering, "We're flying to Japan, helping Mello compete with Near...again." Smoke fluttered out of his mouth.<p>

"Expected. Eh, whatever, it's Japan, home of anime and sushi; i'll enjoy myself either way." I shrugged, carrying around a copy of Shounen Jump under my arm, "So when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow, I guess." He pushed furiously on the buttons of his DS, "Mello says he'll get an airlift to fly us over."

"Oooh~ Airlift?" I grinned, "What a big shot." We turned a corner, almost simultaneously; dodging the other passersby with great precision. I stuck my hand in the pocket of my hoodie, tracing my thumb over a silver key. We stopped at a rustic brick building, pushing open the silver metalic doors; walking through an empty lobby towards dented elevator doors. Matt pushed the only button not attached to his DS and the numbers above the doors flared up. 3...2...1. The doors slid open, and before Matt could take a single step inside, my hand shot out at his face. He was left with his mouth still parted, his cigarette in my hand. I dropped it to the floor, crushing it under the heel of my boot.

"I'm not gonna stand in a box full of carcinogens for 23 floors." I walked into the elevator, leaning against its side. Matt followed, letting out an exasperated sigh on the way, "Don't worry, Rei, i'll fill your lungs with cigarette smoke before the day is over." He smiled quietly to himself.

I took out the silver key from my pocket, unlocking our front door that held the number '15' on it's metal surface. We walked onto a wooden floor, our boots clicking under us. I turned into a hallway, while Matt kept walking until he met the living room sofa. I pushed open the door to my room, shutting it closed behind me. I fell face first into the messed up sheets laying ontop of my bed, turning my head, to see the sun partially setting. 6:30, the red numbers flashed on and off on the alarm clock at my bed-side. I closed my eyes, lowering the volume on my headphones until it was a low drone, music slipping into my head...

My eyes teared when they fluttered open to see a dimly-lit room, I turned on my side, "Go smoke outside, Matt..." I groaned into a pillow, pulling the covers over my head. "C'mon, Rei, I owe you." He ripped the covers out of my hands, puffing more smoke into my face, "Fuck off, Matt!" I yelled, waving my hand in the air to push away the smoke. "Alright, alright..." He sighed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, throwing it onto the floor; and smushing it, "Now can I stay~?" He asked mockingly, throwing the blankets back over my head.

"Whatever...thanks...for making my room an ash tray." I sighed, exasperated while pointing to the black smudge on my floor. I sat up, running my fingers through silky gray hair. I drew my knees up to my chest, rubbing my golden eyes. Matt walked around the room, plopping down next to me on the bed. I stared at the wall for a minute, my eyes half-closed, "So why does Mello need us this time?" I muttered, falling back again onto my pillow.

"He hasn't told us yet." Matt answered, sliding his DS out of his pocket.

"Tch, he never does..." I got up, restless, walking out of the room. Matt followed close behind, not that I would let him stay there by himself...He took his former place on the couch, while I walked further into our kitchen. I pawed through the refridgerator, not looking for anything in particular, "Remind me why we're doing this." I yelled back into the living room, pulling out an age old box of chinese food.

Matt shrugged to himself, taking a moment to think before answering, "We have nothing better to do?" I tossed the box into the trash, a rank smell eminating from it. I slammed the door shut, not finding anything...appetizing...inside, "Hm, it's nice to know that we're risking our lives for no apparent reason." Walking out of the kitchen, I moved towards a window, sticking my finger between one of the blinds; nothing but blaring lights from city streets and shady looking people roaming around.

"Hey, play video games with me?" Matt asked, completely ignoring my sarcastic comment.

"Not right now." I waved him off, moving back towards my room.

"Why not?" He asked with a partially surprised/whiny voice. I rarely ever declined an offer to play video games simply because...I had nothing better to do...

"If we're doing the same job as last time, may as well come prepared." I flung open the doors of my closet, shifting the contents around until I reached the false back...


	2. Level 1

Loud metal clicks echoed in the small box of a "closet" I stood in. Behind that false back was a series of odd, meticulous puzzles; each one must be completed in a particular way, otherwise...electrocution, burning...it isn't pleasant. "Matt! I told you before, go smoke outside!" I snapped at my dear goggle-eyed friend, analyzing the next puzzle before me. "Aww, Rei, you won't make go out in the shivering cold, would you~?"

"The weather has never stopped you from going outside, especially when a new video game comes out." I turned around to stick my tounge out at him, then back to the maze. Another series of metal clicks sounded, and the final door opened...

I grinned, hearing Matt walk up behind me, "Huh, you've really out done yourself." A nice artillery of guns was bolted to a cold metal wall, along with several knives. "Don't you think you'll be a little rusty? I mean, it's been a whi-." I kept my eyes on my little hidden arsenal, while holding a gun in the other hand. I spun it on it's trigger, and it stopped, directly in the middle of Matt's goggles, "Still think i'm "rusty"?" I asked, smirking.

"No, now stop pointing at my face." Matt nudged my hand away, he knew I wouldn't shoot, not even accidentaly, but I suppose when you play with fire you're bound to be 'burned'.

"Right, sorry." I answered back hurriedly, placing the gun in my lap. The cool surface, and odd twist and turns of its exterior shell were very familiar, "Y'know, you probably could've beat Near for L's Successor if you didn't spend so much time with those damn guns at Wammy's."

"I could say the same for you, videos games, tsk, tsk, tsk." I wagged my finger in the air, my back turned to Matt, "Besides it's not like Roger ever cared what we did with our lives...no one ever did." I spoke, slightly sullen. Matt leaned in towards me, reddish wisps of hair brushing along my gray hair; he sighed loudly, opening his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.

"Nevermind..." I said softly, sounding hurt, "It doesn't matter anymore." I my head swiftly, blushing imediately after; I didn't realize how close Matt had gotten and now our faces were only inches away. He took notice to the red tint on my face, grinning, "Nervous?" He lay a gloved-hand on my chin, still smiling.

"N-no..." I stammered back, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from my face, "My games aren't easy to play, Matt-kun." I smirked, stepping out of the little closet to grab a duffel bag. After a moment of silence, Matt spoke again, "Why are you packing all these tonight? You've got all day tomorrow..."

"Because," I said with a yawn, "No way am I dealing with all of this tomorrow." I pointed to the whole wall of artillery, "Now start handing me all of those..." I said tiredly, plopping down on the floor. It was about 1:00 am when we started...

3:00 am when everything was in place, hidden from the average human eye. "I told you, you should've just done it tomorrow, Rei." Matt yawned, scolding me for not listening, I was on the otherside of my room, next to my bed. "Rei?" He asked when I didn't respond with some smart-ass answer. He stood, walking over to see what I was doing; I lay on my side, sleeping with headphones still attached to my neck. I murmured soft words of nonsense, before Matt scooped me up in his arms laying me carefully on my bed. I yawned widely (embarassingly), turning on my side to curl into a ball. He stared down at me, a sort of smile on his face. Matt walked over to the otherside, parallel to me, and laid himself down on the covers; he ran a gloved hand through his dark-red hair, closing his eyes...Maybe it was all subconscious, or just a force of habit, but it jolted Matt out of his almost-sleep and forced him to turn his head; I clung tightly to his arm, resting my forehead on his shoulder. It didn't bother him at all, he grinned happily to himself, maybe my "games" were easier to play with the help of a cheat code.

The smell of smoke and nicotine hung heavily in my face, I assumed it was another "wake up call" from Matt, and my mouth was half-way open about to yell before I opened my eyes groggily. The disgusting scents didn't come from a cigarette, but the smoker himself. Matt held me close to his body, resting his head ontop of mine. Truthfully, to find Matt sleeping in my bed wasn't the odd part, but to find us so close together was...new. He must've felt me fidgeting, because after a moment of my own "deductive reasoning", he spoke calmly, "Well I see you're awake."

"You were awake this whole time and didn't bother explaining any of this?" I asked, slightly irritated. "No. You're smart enough, you would've figured it out on your own." He answered, still holding me close. "Besides is it that weird?" Matt grinned playfully.

I sighed in defeat at the fact that I could've been overreacting, "You sleeping here isn't weird. You still holding me close, even after I woke up, that's weird."

"Really?" He asked, acting like he knew a secret, "Because y'know, I wasn't the first one to make a move."

"What?" I yelled, sitting up. I stared down at Matt, who responded, "You grabbed my arm first." He was taking alot of enjoyment out of seeing me freak out.

I stammered for a moment, feeling Matt's arm still wrapped around my waist, "You can't blame me for that!" I yanked the pillow out from under his head, smacking his face, "I was sleeping, you bastard!" I loomed over Matt, continuing to beat him with a pillow. I stopped for a moment, to see that Matt wasn't fighting back at all, he grinned widely at my sheer moment of fuming anger. "Argh! You're so annoying!" I threw the pillow at his head, jumping down from my bed and walking out into the hallway. "Hey! Where are you going?" Matt yelled from my room, still refusing to get up.

"Taking a shower, I need to wash your smoker scent off of me." I hissed from the doorway, stomping angrily to the bathroom.

"You know you love my smell, Rei!" He snickered loudly, sitting up. "And get the hell out of my room!" I screamed, dragging him by the collar of his vest, down the hallway...  
> <p>


	3. Level 2

Water dripped from my gray strands of hair, hitting the tiled bathroom floor. I rubbed a towel on my head, unlocking the door and moving back to my room. In the room next to mine, the only sounds heard were coming from Matt's PS3; I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Matt wouldn't stop his game anytime soon to bother me. I stealthily walked inside my room closing the door behind me, and fell back on my bed. This morning was eccentric to say the least...the towel covered my eyes, water dripping on the sheets under me. I was still contemplating this morning, not what happened, but the feelings that came with it; My heart was still pounding. Yes, it was fun to argue with Matt, but...sleeping together in such a close position was...definately different. And his reluctancy to let go of me, even after we had started arguing puzzled me further; maybe that was the only way to confuse someone from Wammy's House: play with their emotions.

I heard the soft clicking of my doorknob, "Out." I said, pointing to the door. "You aren't still mad about this morning, are you?"

"No." I muttered, turning away from Matt, who completely ignored my previous command. I bounced up and down, when Matt plopped down on the bed right next to me. "Can't you be a little excited? We're going to Japan." He leaned over me, holding himself up by his arms.

"Would it make you happy?" I asked in a monotonous tone, still averting my gaze.

"Yes?" Matt answered unsurely, not seeing my plan of action.

"Then no, it isn't possible for me to be a little excited." Matt let out an exasperated sigh, it seems I was pissing him off. He thought for a moment before trying again, "Please?"

"No." I answered abruptly, even though I was partially surprised by Matt's begging.

"Please?" He persisted.

"No." I kept the same tone in my voice.

"Please?"

I grabbed a sticky note on my side-table, scribbling the word 'no' on it, then stamping it to my forehead. "Fine, I give up." He removed himself from my personal space, sighing loudly, "C'mooonnnn!" He whined after a moment of silence. I took the sticky note off of my head, shoving it in his face. He yanked it out of my hands, crumpling it into a ball and throwing it to the side.

Matt was about to start again, but his cellphone started ringing. My curiousity was piqued and I side-glanced at him, "Mello." He answered, taking notice to my slight turn. Matt clicked the speaker button on his phone, "Hello?"

"Matt, the airlift's crossed the border into New York, get into position." With that one sentence, Mello hung up the phone and a dial tone was all that was left.

"Let's get going." Matt held his hand outstretched to me, I sighed, reluctantly taking it. I watched the expression on his face become that of victory and snatched my hand back. He smirked, leaving my room, "You can't stay mad at me forever, Rei!"

I stood at our front door, tapping my foot in impatience, waiting for Matt. "You should've packed earlier, Matt!" I screamed, breaking my promise to myself to ignore Matt for the rest of the day, or at least until we got to Japan...

"Yeah, yeah! Just lemme pack my PS3!" He yelled back, starting to rush now.

"Buy a new one in Japan! I bet they already have the PS4 out!" I screamed back, getting irritated.

His head popped out from the hallway, "Really?"

"No, you idiot! Just hurry up!" I snapped back, banging my head on the door. I turned to stare at the window, the sun was in the middle of the sky, around 3:00, I suppose. Matt came flying out of the hallway and I held the door open for him to dash out of our apartment. After I finished locking our door, we made our way down to the lobby and out onto the streets. Matt's erubescent car beeped and clicked while being unlocked and the trunk popped open. We tossed our bags in and Matt went to the front passenger seat, holding the door open...for me. "No." I said plainly and started walking further down the sidewalk.

"But, it gets lonely without you." He whimpered jokingly.

"Then go sit in your emo corner and cry, Matt." I barked back, and finally reached the end of the block, where my sleek jet black motorcycle sat waiting. I placed the corresponding helmet over my head while a few of my silver locks of hair stuck out. The engine roared while I turned my keys in the ignition, and not too long after, Matt came speeding past me. I drove a swift movement following behind him, "So where are we headed?" I spoke into a speaker installed into the helmet, it's receiver in Matt's car, "Some desolate plot of land on the outskirts of New York."

I let out a long sigh, "This is going to a long drive..."  
> <p>


	4. Level 3

We were left speeding down an empty road for an hour, the sun was only a few hours from completely disappearing. "Are we...almost there?" I asked, reluctant to act like an impatient 5 year-old.

"Relax, 10 more minutes." Matt let out a big breath, he was obviously smoking.

"Alright, alright." I said exasperated, slouching over the motorcycle handlebars a little bit. Matt made a sharp turn into an off road plot of asphalt, myself following straight behind him. We drove slightly further, until we were almost completely surrounded by trees. I kept one foot planted to the floor to balance myself and Matt was at a complete stop, leaving the engine running and the lights on. It was quiet, a small droning sound was heard from far off. It approached closer and closer until it was hovering right over us; the airlift started descending, the mafia personel inside, were unbolting a ramp, letting it drop to the ground. Our engines roared as we drove up the ramp, stopping when Matt's car and mine were parked next to each other. I pulled off my helmet, the silver pieces of hair falling from the helmet and resting on my shoulders. Matt's car door slammed shut and he walked over, sitting next to me on my motorcycle. I balanced my chin on my helmet, letting out a sigh, "Hey, any of you know what job Mello has for us?"

No response...from anyone. "Expected." I said, giving a side-glance at the alloy walls surrounding us. 'Surrounded in a black, desolate box for the next 24 hours...' I thought, rubbing my temples.

"I told you before not to worry about it." Matt replied, a cigarette dangling out of his mouth, "We'll get out alive, just like last time, and the time before that."

I let out a quiet sigh, "But it's not as if we've dealt with a "kira" before...a person who can kill with only a name and face."

"There's nothing to lose, even if we do die, you said it yourself, no one cares about what we do with our lives." Matt spoke, almost all care drained out of his voice.

"That doesn't mean I want us to die..." I mumbled into my arms, folding them over my mouth.

I picked my legs up, moving them to one side, instead of straddling the bike and looked down at my boots, black with straps criss-crossing across. I yawned, forgetting to cover my mouth. I was tired. again, how odd. Matt slung his arm around my shoulder, letting me lay my head on his chest, seems as though we had a mental synchronization. "I figured you couldn't be any angrier." He said, grinning.

I failed to retort back with a clever comment, I was afraid I might lose my pillow.

It was dark, an old nostalgic feeling coursing through my body.

I, or at least the 2-year-old figure of myself, was sitting in the dark, only street lights shined through the glass tinted windows. These streets were far too familiar, the streets that led to Wammy's House.

"Mother, where are we going?" I asked my parent sitting in the front seat of the car. No answer...it didn't matter; I kept myself preoccupied by staring at this large building, surrounded by gates. If you looked hard enough, you could just barely see the dozens of faces of tiny children.

We pulled up to these tall onyx gates, my advanced child brain began to process everything. An old man stood at the doors, parallel to us from afar, he was dressed in a suit.

Three car doors slammed, and my parents walked ahead of me, I walked by myself, tottering behind. My parents never held my hand, they never wanted to and eventually, I had gotten used to it.

When reached the man standing at the door, they started talking while I stood in the background, hands laying neatly at my sides.

They were done speaking, my parents walked past me, not even bothering to say good-bye. "Ms. Suzuki, will you be alright?" The man, who I would come to know as Watari, asked.

I looked up at him with gold eyes and answered with a chilling dead tone of voice, "I never was, and never will be."

My eyes snapped open, it was darker than when I fell asleep; only a soft blue light glowing in the dark, "Damnit." I murmured under my breath, clenching my fist tightly. I wiped the corner of my eyes with a finger, twitching slightly. I pushed Matt's arm off my shoulders, groaning in annoyance and pushing my handfuls of silver hair back. "Finally. I thought you were going to sleep the entire trip." Matt let out a breath of smoke, staring at me through his goggles. "Shut up..." I sighed, feeling a painful past-induced head-ache, I shut my eyes tightly, hoping the pain would go away, "...Hey, can you pop open the trunk?" I asked, pointing to Matt's car.

"Why?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"If I told you, you'd think I was crazy."


	5. Level 4 & 5

_.click._

I leaned on the front wheel of my motorcycle, loading the dozens of guns, that we'd brought, with bullets. The smell of the gun powder relaxed my headache, yes, _relaxed my headache_. The smell of gun powder and the loud piercing shot from a gun were some of the only things in my past that didn't bring back a horribly nostalgic headache, "Why are you loading bullets?" Matt asked, looking down at me curiously.

"I told you before, you'd think I was crazy." I said, not looking up and focusing hard on the placement of the alloy pieces.

"You're not gonna shoot someone, are you?" A sense of weariness could be detected.

"Well...I wasn't thinking about it." I shrugged, raising the gun up, pretending to aim. Now the mafia was starting to watch me carefully, well, all except one. I heard him snickering from close next to me, "Aww, look, a little girl playing with guns. Why don't you just leave the machinery to the _men_, baby~?" He was a scrawny, lanky _man_, for lack of a better word.

"Well, first off, i'm not a little girl." I cocked the gun I was holding, turning slowly to face him, "Second...don't call me 'baby'." I pulled the trigger, the echo of the shot was amazing. Everyone seemed to wince, which was odd for mafia men, you'd think they'd be used to it.

"Y-you missed..." He studdered slightly with a tone of elation.

"I don't _miss_." I said, placing the gun in my lap, "You flinched at a blank." I smirked, moving on to the next gun. He retreated reluctantly, muttering curse words to himself.

Matt took a drag out of his cigarette, calming his nerves, "I thought you were gonna kill him..."

"I shouldn't waste a bullet on someone I could kill with my own bare hands."

"We're approaching HQ." The pilot, whoever that may be, called out. I shot a look at the windows, "Damnit." I looked at the machines scattered on the floor, all loaded with bullets, "I hope these don't go off in the bag..."

The loud hovering of the airlift was slowing to a light whir. Their hideout was in a secluded desert land, and it looked like a broken down mansion, I tossed my bag full of loaded artillery on the sandy floor when we were only a few feet away from the ground. No explosion. Matt and I followed soon after, jumping before they could even get the ramp down. "Mello should've been a real estates agent, he finds the _best_ locations." I smiled, looking at the broken plaster and rotting wood at HQ.

"At least it's better than being stuck in a metal box~." Matt grabbed my shoulders, pushing me forward.

We pushed open the engraved wood doors, and it seems that almost everyone had their eyes fixated on us, "Well this isn't akward at all." I said flatly, continuing to walk forward into the room we presumed Mello was in.

"Still addicted to chocolate, huh, Mello?" I asked, grinning widely at my childhood friend with a chocolate bar in his hand.

"Still addicted to Matt, huh, Rei?" He retorted mockingly.

"I was about to ask you the same question, Mr. Gender-Confused." I twirled my hair between my fingers, making reference to Mello's _pretty_ blonde hair. Matt walked in only seconds later to miss our little show, he half-waved, sitting on the chair closest to him. This was obviously too much physical labor for Matt, and all in two days.

"Anyways, now that you're both here, I've got a job for _you_." Mello pointed at me with extra emphasis.

I sighed a little, before looking up at him again, "Whatever you say, boss-man."

"A kidnapping." Mello continued, taking a bite out of his chocolate bar. "Of Sayu Yagami, the daughter of the chief deputy-"

"Director of the Japanese Task Force." I said, completeing his sentence, "I'm on it." I dug a pistol out of my bag and spun around on my heel, making my leave, but I remained within ear-shot of the next comment.

"Boss, How can you trust a little girl with a kidnapping this important?" A man sitting next to Mello asked, he was much larger than the previous one.

"_Little Girl_?" I echoed with my hand tightly gripped around the handle of my gun, "I'll tell you this once and only once." I hissed, walking closer to where Mello sat, "Rei Suzuki is not a little girl." I raised the pistol to his forehead, making the other men jump up to point their guns at me, "And I am going to drill it into your head." I pressed the opening closer into his skin, "So that you and everyone else here never forgets." He smiled when I looked down at him; he had snuck a pistol between us, aiming at my stomach, "I guess you were wrong, little-" With one swift movement [1], his gun was in my other hand, pointed at his heart.

"You can't kill him, Rei." Mello finally intervened, "Not yet."

I gave a dissatisfied grunt, walking away towards the outside, but stopped before I was fully outside the room; I raised one of the guns up again, aiming at a body shot, "Hey! W-what are you doing?" The _ignorant_ man shouted.

"Mello said I couldn't _kill_ you. So i'm going to hurt you so bad, that you'll wish I killed you earlier." _**BANG**_. A flare of orange light went off in that dimly lit room and I kept on a serious face while staring at the asshole with a bullet lodged in his stomach.[2]

The loud roar of the ebony motorcycle was the only sound in this desert, the rotating wheels kicking up sand as I rode towards the main streets of Japan. My vinyl headphones were playing [Tonight, Tonight, Tonight by Beat Crusaders] [3] into my head, I sighed (it seems I was doing alot of that today.), these missions were always so lonely...I gripped the handlebars tighter, seeing the bright lights of streetcars in the distance. It was a freeway; I turned the headlights off, driving as quietly as possible through the dark. Luckily for me, there were no cops around and few cars were on the road at this time, an easy way to inconspicuously slip into the asphalt road.

I flipped the headlights back on, the exit to the Yagami household was only 10 minutes from my current position. The darkness was settling in quickly, normal for a November day. The song playing through my head had long since changed to [Movin'! by Takacha] [4], an oddly cheery song for this occasion in particular...I screeched to a halt at a traffic light, a quick right turn and that would be it. The light flashed green and the road turned emptier after my immediate right, the houses began to look the same, not too much different from certain areas of New York. I passed number after number, parking at the corner of the block where the Yagami's lived.

I picked up my hood, pulling it over my head and tied a red bandana over the lower-half of my face. The only visible part of my face were my eyes, piercing gold in the dark shadows. My boots were clicking on the hard cement floor, walking into shadows and moving stealthily near the fences. I took a quick 360 cirvalance of the area, leaping quietly onto the roof of the neighboring garage. The window of Sayu Yagami's room was dark, obviously sleeping.

The neighbors were completely unaware of my prescence, so I continued on, crouching silently on the edge of her bedroom window. Prying the window open was something an amatuer could do, and soon enough, I stood like a shadow over Sayu. The gun was still resting in my back pocket, there was no point in taking it out. She felt my prescence and her eyes shot open, "Speak and I won't hesitate to take your life." I whispered non-chalantly. I took my pistol out of my back pocket, spinning it on the trigger to make sure she got the message. I quietly slipped it back, issuing another order, "Get dressed." I leaned quietly on the door, while the shaking Sayu stood by her closet, dressing with an anxiety filled face. Light pooled at the bottom of the door, her mother was still awake. Sayu walked back to me, still shaking furiously and the moment I twisted the doorknob, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "W-wait, y-you're not going to hurt my mom, a-are you?"

"No, I came here for you and you only. Now start moving." I held the door open, gesturing towards the stairs. She followed willingly, carefully walking down each step, the soft murmur of the television was evident from our vantage point. "Sayu? Is that you?" The shuffling of feet came closer and closer, I waited in the shadows of the staircase for Saiko Yagami to walk closer, while Sayu fixated her pleading eyes on me, "Sayu, what are you-" It all happened in a flash; Saiko had a syringe in her neck, a clear liquid flowing into her body [5]. I walked down the stairs, catching the fallen mother, "Y-you said you wouldn't hurt her!" Sayu almost yelled, tears forming at the rims of her brown eyes.

"I didn't." I hissed back, pulling the syringe out of Saiko's neck, I carried her, now unconscious, towards their living room couch, laying her there serenely, when she woke up; this would all be like a bad dream. I walked back into the hallway where I left Sayu standing, I opened the door and walked out, talking as if it were some friendly conversation, Sayu was at my side, listening carefully. I took the red bandana off, folding it into a strip, "You'll be blind-folded, wearing my helmet when we drive back to head quarters." I faked a smile for anyone who may have been watching, "If you send a message to anyone in any way shape or form informing them of this kidnapping, you're dead. And your mother will take your place."

...

We were already through the freeway, moving back through the desert when Sayu drew up the courage to ask me a question, "Why are you doing this?" The shakiness in her voice was blatant, "You're the daughter of the head of the kira case, you're our bargaining chip." I kept a dissatisfied face on, I didn't want to refer to her as an item, especially when she had done nothing wrong in the first place.

The mansion was in close viewing range, "We're almost there." I muttered quietly back, the blind-fold must've made it twice as horryifying as it should've been. The harsh roar of my motorcycle's engine hushed to a low growl and it quietly shut itself up. I removed the helmet and blindfold from Sayu's head, "C'mon." She followed obediently, trekking through the sand behind me.

"Mission complete." We stood in front of Mello and his hordes of mafia personnel, that distorted look was painted across Sayu's face, "Faster than I expected." Mello said satisfied, while they took Sayu upstairs into an empty room.

"Well, you hired the best...and if you'll leave me alone, i'll be crashing right about now." I pointed upstairs, yawning.

"Yeah, your room's the one next to Matt's..." Mello squeezed in that last sentence before getting into a discussion over the kira case.

"Of course." I sighed, "I wouldn't have it any other way..." I dragged myself up the carpeted stairs-rotting, disfigured stairs, reaching the second floor. The rooms were all dark-weird. It didn't matter what time it was, Matt was always sitting in front of some giant glowing screen and I assumed he'd be playing his PS3 until dawn. I hit a room with wires and cables sticking out from the door, "Matt's room, definately Matt's room..." I turned into my own, falling onto my own bed, it really didn't matter at the time if it was clean or not...My eye-lids were half shut, when a voice called out, "Well you're finally..._home_."

"What are you doing here?" I tiredly asked Matt, who was laying right next to me, "Go back to your room, Matt..." I muttered, face-down in a pillow.

"But you always let me sleep in your bed~." He whined, laying his head on my back.

"Fine, whatever..." I pushed my grey hair back, "Just shut the hell up already..." I mumbled, closing my eyes all the way.

"Sure, whatever makes you happiest, Rei." He snickered, still using my body as a pillow. Matt pulled his DS out of nowhere and pushed it up to full volume; leaning over my head to make sure i'd hear it. I snatched it out of his hand, turning it off and sticking it up my shirt, "It's mine now..." I muttered angrily.

"What makes you think I won't try and get it?" Matt asked, grinning.

"Go ahead and try...you nocturnal bastard..." I shifted all of my body weight ontop of Matt's DS, it was pressed up close against my stomach. After half an hour of poking and proding the sides of my stomach, Matt gave up, laying one arm across my lower back and planting his face into my neck with a satisfied smile.

"Can I have my DS back now, Rei?" Matt started poking me in the ribs again like a little 2 year old kid. "Here..." I slid it out from under me without opening my eyes. "What time is it...?"

"About 5am." I heard the his DS snap open and the stylus come out of its compartment. I groaned angrily, sticking my head under the pillow. Just out of curiousity, I dragged my finger along my belly, until I reached a spot with a weird texture. I turned onto my back, lifting my shirt up a little to reveal the words, "Nintendo DS", imprinted on my stomach, I let out a dissatisfied moan; and Matt paused his game to sneak a look at what I was moaning about. He started laughing quietly, unpausing his game, "It's your punishment for taking my games away from me."

"Mm..." I sat up, rubbing the words furiously out of my skin, but the words stood out even more against a new red background. I frowned, pulling my shirt down and throwing myself back down onto my pillow. I pulled the covers up over my head, "Quit moving, you're messing me up." Matt muttered, smushing the stylus onto the touch-pad.

"You deserve it." I snapped back, turning to face Matt, or at least his body. I took my index finger, poking relentlessly at his side, "Rei, cut it out!" He started squirming, but it didn't stop me. "Damnit, Rei, i'm losing!" He barked, turning over to lay on my arm. "I pulled the covers off my face to pout at Matt, who was still laying ontop of my right arm. "Haha! I won!" He grinned triumphantly, removing himself from my arm, "Eh...you hurt my shooting arm..." I pouted jokingly, waving my right hand in front of his face, "But I won." He said, starting a new game, he took my hand, placing it ontop of his head, as if it wouldn't move. "But my aaaarrrrrrrrmmmmmm." I whimpered, shaking Matt's head.

"Both of you shut the fuck up! It's 5 in the morning!" That was Mello, coming from right next door. I turned to stare at the wall, where Mello's voice erupted, "Aww, looks like Willy Wonka hasn't had his daily dose of chocolate yet~." Matt snickered from behind me, still infatuated with his DS. I stood up, moving to the door, "Where are you going?" Matt paused his game again.

"To see my latest victim." I replied, walking out into the empty hallways, Matt trudged behind me, pushing his DS back into his pocket, "What for?"

"Mello's little henchmen are supposed to be taking care of her, but I wouldn't trust them to water a plant..." I sighed, walking up the stairs to the third floor. There was only one door there, leading to an old style dining room. An old worn out chandellier hung from the center of the ceiling and directly below it, Sayu Yagami sat in a chair, blindfolded and hand-cuffed. She was probably awake, too scared to sleep, "Hm, I was expecting a ten-year-old..." Matt commented, peeking into the room with me. I untied her blind-fold and the ropes they used for a hand-cuff, letting it fall to the floor, "Huh, must be scary not having vision or mobility." I stood up, walking over to stare outside a wide window: nothing but dirt. The light hit Sayu's face harshly and she started to wince. "Rei, Rei, Rei, always has a soft spot for her innocent victims..." Matt came up behind me, sticking his elbows onto my shoulders. "Unlike you." I hissed back, waving my right arm in his face, "You were guilty, don't deny it." He pushed my arm away, and we turned to face Sayu who was extremely confused now, "W-why are you doing this?" No doubt that she remembered my blaring amber eyes from last night. "Well, you're not going to struggle, so why keep you tied up?" I shrugged, turning back to the window to try to see something interesting. I sat on the window sill, Matt perched next to me, "You can talk, it's not like I-we-have a gun."I raised my empty hands, seeing as she was still nervous, "Who are you?" She hesitated slightly.

I stopped, thinking for a moment, "...Rei..." I answered, still thinking about my move. "Matt." He didn't even stop to think about his answer. "It doesn't matter if she tells the police or not." He whispered to me, pullling out a cigarette and lighter. "You already know who I am..." She mumbled back at us with an angry tone in her voice.

"Ah, I don't blame you for being angry." I looked down at my toes, "I _kidnapped_ you, I bet you hate me." I smiled softly.

She looked up at me with wide eyes, "This isn't my first time kidnapping somebody." I kept staring at my feet, wiggling my toes.

"I figured when you knocked my mom unconscious." She sort of hissed out.

"...I apologize for that." I looked up at her with a sincere face and she stared back with wide eyes, "That drug I gave her will just make her forget, and...ignorance is bliss."

"As long as she's okay..." She whispered quietly.

"It must be nice having people who care about you...if I had to guess, your father is assembling task force to try and contact Mello right about now." I drew my knees up to my chest, while from my side, Matt stared intently at me.

"...you must have somebody who cares about you..." Sayu said saddened, letting her guard down a little.

"No, I don't-"

"Rei is wrong." Matt cut me off in an instant.

"Huh?" I asked, not hearing those words arranged in such an order for a long time.

"She has me." He answered me while talking to Sayu.

I blushed a little, averting my eyes away from Matt, who let out a breath of cigarette smoke. "That's better than no one at all." Sayu broke the akward silence that started to settle into the room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said, hearing footsteps move up the stairs, "Hm, crap." I darted towards the door, calmly for someone who was about to get into trouble. "What do _you_ want?" I scowled at a hispanic man walking up the stairs.

"Uh..." He was holding what appeared to be a platter, and he obviously knew who I was and what I did, "Mello gave me orders to take care of Yagami..."

"Here." I stepped out of a little crack in the door (if he'd seen that Sayu was free, I thought he might rat me out.), "I'll take care of it." I held my hands out, taking the platter from him.

I let out a sigh, stepping back into the room, "That was close..."

"I've never seen you bust your ass so much over one kidnappee before." Matt said, stubbing out his cigarette.

"Eh, she's different. Here." I walked past Sayu, dropping the platter in her lap.

"...Thanks..." She wearily lifted up the cover, one look at _it_ could've made anyone throw up. I returned to my place next to Matt, redrawing my knees up to my chest, "You'll have to tie her back up some time."

"I know, but I may as well let her enjoy her freedom while it lasts..." I fidgeted a little, "I was right, wasn't I?"

"About what?"

"The Japanese Task Force. Mello's contacting them today, right?" I was solemn, looking out the window at the rising sun that was peaking over the desert sand.

"Yeah...Mello wants us to put in a webcam up here so we can broadcast the...evidence." Matt answered, staring at me again.

"By _we_, you mean _you_, right?" I smiled, putting my arms ontop of my knees.

"I told you before, it's so lonely without you~..." He whined, sighing shortly after.

"Like I have anyone else to hang out with?" I grinned, nudging him with my elbow.

"What're you both-?" Mello walked in, and twitched slightly at the sight of an untied Sayu Yagami, "Rei, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Hey, how come you automatically assumed it was me?" I pouted, jumping off the window sill.

"Because it was you." He scowled, taking a snap at his chocolate bar.

"Ah, Guilty as charged." I smiled innocently, raising a hand up in the air, "Aww, what's the harm, Mello? It's not she's like running away..." I looked to the side, still pouting.

"I don't give a crap. Just quit doing it, Rei." He walked out of the room, unsatisfied with my free-thinking.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." I waved a hand, sticking my tounge out at Mello.

"You really should cut it out, though." Matt came up behind me and took a glance at Sayu.

"Ok, ok, side with your gay-lover [6], it doesn't bother me." I started heading for the door, shrugging.

"What?" Matt yelled at me, shoving me out the door.

"It's okay, Matt!" I spoke loudly, "You can come out of the closet, I won't judge-"

"Shut the hell up, Rei!" He screamed into my ear, holding his gloved hand clamped over my mouth. I grabbed the banister, that we walked so close to, prying Matt's hand off of my mouth, "Because I am your gal pal, and you're my ga-!" Matt grabbed my hood (Wearing all these hoodies was bound to bite me in the ass someday...), pulling it tightly over my head. I whimpered and sniffled in the darkness of my own clothes, "Mm...I'm blind~." I put my hands out in front of me, pretending to feel around.

"Hn." Matt carried me on his back, one arm to hold me up while the other kept my hood clamped over my face, "You're so freaking heavy, Rei..." Matt choked out, walking down the stairs. Carrying _too much_ weight for _long_ distances was physically exhausting for Matt.

"Nope, you're just weak." I answered, getting over the fact my head was being bound, "I bet you'll get a hernia before you reach my room."

"I'm not weak!" He scowled back, only a few more yards away from my bedroom door. A good number of people started to stare at us while Matt was still stumbling towards my room. "Yes, you are." I leaned forward, putting my elbows on Matt's head, by now he needed both hands to carry my whole body weight, "I'm pretty small for my age." I continued on, "If I was a regular sized 18 year-old [7], you probably wouldn't even be able to lift me off the ground." _**WHAM.**_

Matt hit the floor like a ton of bricks, and only a few inches away from my door..."Aww, so close." I said, still sitting on Matt's back.

1. I was thinking about the movie "Rush Hour", number 2 I think. That scene when Jackie Chan teaches Chris Rock how to steal a pistol from the person who's aiming it at you. Ah, good times. :D

2. According to my Health Teacher, the stomach is the worst place to get shot because it hurts like hell.

3 & 4. I put the song titles in brackets just to seperate them from the actual sentence, these 2 songs listed have one thing in common. Betcha can't guess~.

5. Yes, there is a drug that makes people forget short moments of their lives.

6. Because we all know how much MxM yaoi there is out there O:) \

7. Um, I think that's how old Matt and Rei are supposed to be...


	6. Level 6 & 7

"Planning to get up any time soon, Matt?" I asked, sitting in the hallway where he collapsed.  
>"Maybe you should carry me for a change." He mumbled, sprawling his arms out on the carpeted floor.<br>"Maybe you shouldn't have skipped gym class so much." I retorted, turning on my headphones.  
>"I never skipped gym class, <em>thank you very much<em>." Matt smiled to himself.  
>"Okay, but you never did anything in gym class." I shrugged, looking upwards.<br>"Yeah, I did. Mello and me did _a lot_ in gym class." He answered, pushing wisps of auburn hair out of his face.  
>"Like what?" I asked unamused.<br>"Stared at you and the other girls in those short shorts and tight shirts." [1] Matt grinned, as if he was replaying the whole scene in his mind.  
>"Perv." I spat out, flicking him on the head. "But at least it proves I'm not <em>gay<em>."  
>"That was long ago, who knows how many hormonal changes you've undergone since then?" I smiled, staring at him. Matt sighed in defeat, smiling to himself.<br>"C'mon, Matt, you must have one more defense for your manhood." I smirked, leaning in closer to his face.  
>"Nah, too tired." He smirked back.<br>"Ah, you're always too tired." I stood up, outstretching my hand to him. He took it, not getting up, though. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." I said to myself in a sing-song voice, dragging Matt across the floor to his room. I stopped, reaching the front of the TV, where I left Matt. I tossed his PS3 controller at him, ducking behind the wide screen to attach color-coded wires. A loud melodic noise erupted from the speakers and I hit the lights, plopping down on the sofa, that Mello so conveniently placed in the middle of the room.  
>"Hah, you always know how to make me feel better, Rei." He sat up for the first time in an hour, now that the menu screen had come up. Matt backed himself up into the sofa, taking his seat next to me. I was hypnotized into the soft beat of [Melt my Heart to Stone by Adele], my eye-lids growing heavier by the minute. I started tilting to the side just slightly, rubbing my eyes, the dim blue light didn't make it any easier to stay awake.<br>Only a few more seconds and my tilting turned into falling. The glowing TV had "Paused" flashing in big red letters. Matt sighed, looking down at my head that was resting in his lap, "He, its the only time you ever look peaceful, Rei." He looked up again, furiously pushing the X button on the controller.  
>I blinked a few times, not really remembering that I had fallen asleep. Same song still playing in my head, it seems that my playlist of over hundreds of songs doubled itself over already. "Damnit." Matt muttered under his breath with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth, still playing video games after an estimated two hours, "Did you set up the webcam, yet...?" I mumbled sleepily, closing my eyes again.<p>

"Nah, Mello hasn't come up here to yell at me yet." He snickered, staring at the _dazzling_ TV screen. And, as if on cue, Mello started screaming from downstairs, "Matt, where's the freaking webcam?" I snickered slightly.

"Well...?" I asked, sitting up, noticing that Matt wasn't going to move, "Just one more level. It'll take 10 seconds." He responded quickly, putting his head in my lap, the moment he got the chance.

"Yeah, sure, _10 seconds_..." I sighed, "Let's go...before Mello loses his chocolate high and comes to kill you." I hit the power button on his PS3, pulling him by his collar up the stairs.

"Does that mean you'd miss me if I died?" Matt asked, grinning like he expected a certain answer to come out of my lips.

"Don't talk about that..." I muttered, dropping his collar and stalking up the stairs.

"Is that a 'yes'?" He continued, trotting to catch up with me.

"I told you to stop it." I scowled back, staring at him with piercing serious gold eyes, "Just because I kill people for a living doesn't mean I like talking about death." I turned around, continuing my ascent up the the stairs. I bent over, peeking into a crack in the door, "Sitting by the window." I whispered to myself. I looked to my side, expecting to see Matt's face there, spying as well. He was leaning on the banister, staring at something else..._my ass_.

"Cut it out, you disgusting pervert!" I scolded him, pulling at the hem of my navy blue hoodie in attempts to cover my butt.

"There's my _last_ defense for my manhood." He snickered, walking into the room, "The other one was tempting to use, but I think you might kill me." He shrugged, turning to face me.

"Oh really?" I walked in after him, unknowingly, going closer than I should've.

"Well, let's find out." Matt strode the few steps to get closer to me, interwining his fingers in the belt loops of my jeans. He pulled me closer, keeping me up against his body all while Sayu watching us. I blushed momentarily, and sent a sharp straight punch into his chest, sending him reeling onto the floor, "You're right, I definately would've killed you." I leaned over him, stretching my hand out to him. I had a toothy grin on, not expecting what would happen next; Matt pulled hard on my arm, making me fall hard ontop of him. "Hey-!" Before I had anytime for any more word or otherwise, Matt flipped us over, so I was under him. "Still gonna kill me now, Rei?" He whispered it into my ear, keeping his cheek pressed softly to mine. "Hrm..." I sighed, defeated, I guess. My wrists were pinned to my sides, and Matt's legs kept mine glued to the floor, "Didn't think so." He smirked, pressing his lips into my cheek; he kept them there for what seemed like an elongated amount of time. "Rapist." I snapped back, my face was blushing deep crimson, while still distorted into a scowl. "Haha, you know you loved it, Rei." Matt laughed, getting off of me and holding his hand out. I turned on my side, folding my arms over my chest.

He laughed more, scooping me into his arms, and placing me in my upright standing position. "Oh, c'mon, Rei, was it that bad?" He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, placing his chin on my shoulder. I grabbed his arm, quickly throwing him with a harsh slam to the nearest wall, "Oww~..." It came out like a laugh, and Matt stayed on the floor, too _injured_ to get up, "Where are you going, Rei?" He sang, grinning widely.

"Shut up." I barked back, traveling quickly down the stairs and darting into my room.

"He, feisty." He showed off white teeth-surprisingly, for a smoker...-staring at the path I had just taken.

"You guys are...eccentric..." Sayu made her first comment on the situation, unable to contain an akward smile.

I came back into the room, shutting the door tightly behind me. I walked a steady path to Matt, who kept his eyes closed under his orange goggles. 'Perfect.' I straddled his waist, making him jolt upwards slightly, "Rei?" He asked with a shocked look plastered onto his face. I mimicked his move again, whispering seductively into his ear, "My turn."

"Look who's the rapist now." He smiled in delight.

"It's not rape if you like it." I smiled, grinding my hips into his body. I stared at his face, Matt was trying hard to contain a moan, little beads of sweat forming on his face. I brushed my lips against the side of his face, curving them into a smile, "Finished."

"Wha-?" Matt got up, only to be stopped by the kunai digging through his pant legs and sleeves and trapping him to the floor.

"For all I care, Mello can come up here and shoot you himself. I don't think you can install a webcam, now." I grinned, taking a seat on the window sill right above him. I heard his deep breaths even from my seat, seems as though someone got too _excited_. "He...That was pure evil, Rei." Matt let out a long sigh.

"Evil? Look who's talking." I smirked, looking down at the black and white pages of a Shounen Jump Magazine.

He smiled, turning away from me, "Hey, at least I kissed you. You led me on without giving me..." He trailed off, thinking of the right words.

"Anything in return?" I asked, leaping off the sill while keeping my eyes glued to the latest chapter of BLEACH, I knelt down next to his head, "Is that right, _Sweaty_-san?" I inquired, trailing my finger over his water marked forehead.

"I resent that." Matt turned his head, looking at the peeling paint along the wall.

"Uh-huh, whatever you say, Matt-kun." I laid back onto the floor, dropping my legs on his stomach.

"Hn!...So how long is my punishment _this time_?" Matt grunted, turning his head back to stare at...well, whatever he could see while I was laying down, 'perpendicular' to him.

"I'll let you go when I stop feeling like I was violated..." I sighed, fixating my eyes on the door at the sound of clicking boots.

"The hell are you two-?" Mello stopped, staring at the knives stuck in Matt's clothes, "What'd you do this time?" He asked with a playful smirk dancing along his face.

"Hey, hey, hey." Matt snapped back, he would've made defensive hand-gestures if..."It wasn't just me this time." He shot a look at me, while I leafed through the magazine.

"...Really...?" Mello asked unsurely, snapping off a piece of his chocolate bar and tossing it into his mouth.

"Yep." I said plainly.

"That's even more surprising." He grinned wickedly, "What did _you_ do?"

"Seduced Matt into a completely null, void, and...sweaty state." I explained, standing up and moving toward the door.

"I'm not surprised." He snickered, keeping the same grin on at his face while looking at Matt, who blushed just faintly, "Hey, just let Matt go before the hour's up, we still need that goddamn camera."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." I waved a hand at him, skipping down the stairs, I twisted the knob to Matt's room, laying lazily on the couch. I placed my manga next to me, filing through the number of games Matt had countlessly arranged into some type of category or order...

"Nope, nope, nope..." I tossed them to my side, not caring too much about what order they were in. "Huh?" I stopped at _Assassin's Creed_, pushing it into the slot. [2]

...

"Hrm..." After _hours_ of playing, I had gotten stuck, letting out angry moans. I was sitting completely upside down, my legs laying atop the backboard, "Amatuer." Matt leaned over me, grinning at my non-gamer skills.

"Heeeyyyy." I had just realized the time, "My bad~." I smiled innocently, pushing the buttons on his PS3 controller.

"Sure, being stuck to the floor...it's _great_." Matt plopped down on the floor, sitting next to my head. "Fail." I muttered to myself, starting over again.

"Here, just gimme the controller." He held his hand out, waiting for it. I groaned, reluctantly handing it to him, "Done." It was over in a matter of seconds, "I hate you." I pouted, folding my arms over my chest.

"You can't hate me, it's not possible." Matt said, pulling out his cigarette and lighter, "Yeah, that's why I pinned you to the floor earlier." I shrugged sarcastically.

"Right...and you only pinned me to the floor because I wasn't prepared..." A breath of smoke came fluttering out of his mouth.

"You're just angry because I completely owned you." I replied, flipping myself into an upright pose, the sound of rubber boots pressing against the rock floor of the basement and the sudden darkness made us dart toward the door, "The transaction, it's happening now." I whispered, quietly moving out into the hallway, "C'mon."

"Here." I tossed a loaded Beretta 92FS at Matt, I took an LS 35 A1 Sniper Rifle for myself [3]. We crept down the stairs quietly and positioned ourselves behind the corner of the _switch_.

"So remind me again-." Matt whispered, cocking his pistol. "If the target is less than 600ft away." I looked into the telescopic lens, aiming carefully, "Take a head shot, anything over, then take a body shot." I fixated my eyes on the person holding the so-called "Death Note" that Mello had been blathering on about since even before he had contacted us.

"Helmets, how smart."I snorted with sarcasm in my voice. It was a quick trade, thanks to the odd glass booth inbetween the hallway walls. The Japanese Task Force left without making trouble or attempting to break in. 'It must've been deputy director handing the Death Note off. If it wasn't his daughter, they wouldn't have even hesitated to break their end of the deal.'

"You're definately taking this very seriously, Rei." Mello appeared behind us, flipping the electricity back on as soon as the coast was clear.

"I take every job seriously, Mello." I stated, placing the rifle over my shoulder. My mouth was open, ready to speak more words, but the loud ringing of my cell-phone had stopped me, "Eh?" I looked down at my pocket, my phone **never **rang or vibrated or did any other type of signal of notification.

"Your phone's...ringing." Matt said slowly, making sure every word came out right.

"I didn't even know you had a phone." Mello snorted, both of them leaning over my shoulder now, curious as to who would call at 2am. My eyebrows furrowed quickly after I saw the Caller ID glowing blue on my phone.

"Who's 'K13'?" Matt asked, looking at me with a queer stare.

"Nobody." I answered, silencing my phone and shoving it quickly back into my jean pocket.

1. I swear, I wasn't trying to make Matt more perverted than he should be. That's just the way the girl's uniforms are in, well, most shounen manga...

2. Yeah, i'm not very game savvy when it comes to _Assassin's Creed_, I watched my cousin play it once...^^; It just seemed kinda fitting for the occasion.;)

3. Yes, I did my research this time around.;)


	7. Level 8

I was sitting ontop of my bed, clad in only shorts and a tanktop-it was one of those rare occasions where I could actually change before going to sleep...The blue light of my cellphone illuminated my face, while my fingers dialed one fo the very few numbers in my phone book. "Ah...hello?" It was a male voice on the other line, answering sleepily, not that I could blame him, it _was_ 2am.

"Isamu-" My voice was cut off immediately.

"A-anego? [1]" Isamu screamed into the reciever, wide awake, now.

"Isamu." I said with an irritated tone, "If the sound of my voice is too overwhelming for you, then go get Kaida!" I snapped back.

"N-no, I'm fine. Please forgive me, Rei-senpai." He answered quickly, calming down.

"And what did I tell the both of you about calling me?" I hissed in hushed tones, pointing an angry finger at the phone, as if he could see.

"Ah, sorry, Anego. When we heard about the kira case we wanted to know if you would need our assisstance."

"...Okay, okay." I said calming down, "I expect i'll need you both soon-."

"Hey, Rei! Open the door!" The doorknob started jiggling furiously by Matt's hand, and by the look of it, he wouldn't stop til I opened the door.

"Senpai?" Isamu asked, confused at my long pause.

"Mission. Expect details in a few days." I quickly shut the phone closed, darting over to the door and letting Matt in.

"What were _you _doing?" Was Matt's first of...several questions...

"Changing." I lied, opening my cell-phone again.

"Hehe, really?" Matt asked, playfully tugging at the hem of my shorts.

"Hey!" I swatted his hands away, keeping my eyes on the screen of my phone; I was deleting all traces of my previous conversation.

"Then why are you playing with your phone?" Matt asked, curiously peering over my shoulder.

"The same reason you play with your video games." I answered, not really focused, while pushing Matt's head away. He threw himself onto the bed, "You have a tattoo?" He asked with a surprised tone, taking off his glove to drag his finger over the inking on my thigh.

"Yes. I do." I hissed, shooting him a glare.

Completely ignoring it, Matt lifted the hem of my shorts to see the entire picture, "A...dragon?" The black ink was shaped like a tribal tattoo, moving along my thigh.

"Yes, now cut it out." I smacked him on the head, "And move over." I nudged him in the stomach, forcing him to scoot into the further side of the bed.

"Do you have any other tattoos I should know about?" Matt asked _hopefully_.

"No." I muttered back; lying...again. My back was turned to him, a mistake on my part, "Your back proves otherwise." Matt smirked, quickly lifting the back of my tanktop to reveal an intricately tattoo-ed '13', sitting in the middle of my back.

"Okay, that's it!" I snapped, turning around to face him, "Liar." He snickered, wrapping his arms tightly around my limbs, "Asshole." I hissed, wriggling around, "Oh, c'mon, Rei, you must have another one..."

"Let me go, and i'll tell you where they are...!" I barked, ready to bite his head off.

"_They?_ And besides, that's no fun." Matt answered, frowning mockingly.

"Fine! Then let me go, or i'll kill you!" I was practically foaming at the mouth at the time, "You can't kill me without your arms and legs, even I know that, Rei." He said, matter-of-factly, pulling me into his lap.

"Who says?" I jerked my head back, hitting him in the chest; forcing him to let go of my arms. A quick elbow to his stomach and he was on his back, "**Never** do that, again." The poison practically seeped out of my eyes while I glared at him.

"You still have to tell me where they are." Matt choked out, managing a grin.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Only because it'll shut you up." I turned my back to him again, lifting my silver hair into a ponytail, "The kanji for warrior." I pointed to the character at the base of my neck.

I let out another long sigh, before turning to face him, "This is the last one." I glared, lowering the side of my shorts, just slightly. "A bullet." I said, quickly readjusting myself.

"Can I see the bullet again?" Matt laughed, resting his head on the pillow, "I don't get it, though. What does a dragon, 13, and warrior have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with alot more than you know." I sighed tiredly, my eye-lids drooping, while my head hit the pillow sharply. Matt let out a loud sigh from behind me, "Secrets, secrets, secrets." He grinned, burying his face in my head of grey hair.

"Matt!" Mello started screaming from the floor below us, obviously, freaking out; and after only about 5 minutes of sleep. "Rei!" I let out a whimper, putting my face further in the pillow, but the loud yelling continued..."C'mon...he's not gonna shut up until we go..." Matt mumbled sleepily, holding his hand out to me.

I nodded furiously into the pillow, wrapping my arms tightly around it. "If we fall down the stairs-hmph!-it's all your fault..." Matt muttered, carrying me on his back, pillow still attached to my head.

"A g-ghost?" A phrase that a good-half of the mafia members were yelling, at least, the mafia members that touched the Death Note...

"Ghost?" I picked, my head up, looking around with half-opened eyes, "What ghost?" I smirked, finding such a thing unfathomable.

"Hand it over." Mello said to the current holder of the Death Note, "Look." He said, handing it to me; I poked Matt's face with it, so he could share this horrendous vision with us. I leapt of of Matt, walking over to this so called 'ghost'.

"Not a ghost." I said, "A **shinigami**."

"A shini-what?" Mello repeated.

"A shinigami, death god." I explained, "I used to hear all kinds of folklores about it, well, in the short time that I lived here. Never thought they'd be real." I started walking around _it_, examining its every aspect. Figuring that a shinigami was of Japanese origin, I reverted to my first language, "Konnichiwa, shinigami-san." I bowed politely, "Watashi no namae wa Suzuki-san desu, O-namae wa nan desu ka?" [Hello, Mr. Shinigami. My name is Ms. Suzuki, What is your name?]

"Sidoh." That was the only response it gave, it continued to nibble on the chocolate it had found, presumably from Mello's room...

"Eigo o hanasemasuka?" [Do you speak English?] I asked, not getting too much information out of his previous response.

"Yes, I do." He answered short and simply in a kind of jittery voice.

I smiled simply, "Arigato, Sidoh, Sumimasen." [Thanks, Sidoh, excuse me.] And turned around to face Matt and Mello.

"What the hell did you just say?" Mello barked, taking a chunk out of his chocolate.

"That shinigami, Sidoh, obviously has something to do with this Death Note." I said unknowingly, waving it in my hand.

"Actually, that is my Death Note, and if you could, i'd like it back." He came...flying...up to me, very close. Sidoh towered over me, holding out long quivering hands like spiders.

"Rei?" Matt asked wearily, watching from the side.

I stepped back once cautiously, "You see, Sidoh, that's not really my decision." I stepped back further until I stood next to Mello.

"It's _his._" I smiled devilishly, smacking Mello in the arm with the Death Note. Mello snatched it from my hand, beginning a proposition with Sidoh, "Well, I'm obviously no longer needed here." I yawned, leaning on the banister with my arms folded over my chest. I spun around quickly, moving up the stairs, "I question the existence of shinigami..." I whispered quietly to myself, "Do you think L would've accepted a theory like that, Matt?" I started walking up the stairs backward, seeing Matt following at the bottom. Snickering and whistling followed us from behind bringing a smirk to Matt's face and an aggrivation to my head. That somewhat horrible flare of light shot into the room, "If anyone else wants to make something outta this, you can take it out with my Baretta." I blew the smoking end of my gun, tossing it into my room. "Oyasumi~." [Good Night~] I sang, proceeding with my walk. "Well..." Matt started, finally deciding to answer my previous question. "When you-" His sentenced was ended by the slam from my bedroom door.

"Rei!" He came up to the door, shaking the locked doorknob.

"You lost your sleeping privledges with that smirk!" I shouted back, pouting while throwing myself under the covers.

"Aw, c'mon, Rei. It won't happen again.~" He pulled out his cigarette and lighter, leaning on the door.

"Liar." I muttered, closing my eyes.

"Look who's talking." He retorted, trying to pick the lock.

"You have your own room, Matt. And I have a gun. Several guns."

"Okay, okay, but you know you'll miss me...!" Matt yelled, retreating to his room.

1. Anego means something like eldersister, but only used in gangs never at home.


	8. Level 9

I was sitting ontop of my bed, clad in only shorts and a tanktop-it was one of those rare occasions where I could actually change before going to sleep...The blue light of my cellphone illuminated my face, while my fingers dialed one fo the very few numbers in my phone book. "Ah...hello?" It was a male voice on the other line, answering sleepily, not that I could blame him, it _was_ 2am.

"Isamu-" My voice was cut off immediately.

"A-anego? [1]" Isamu screamed into the reciever, wide awake, now.

"Isamu." I said with an irritated tone, "If the sound of my voice is too overwhelming for you, then go get Kaida!" I snapped back.

"N-no, I'm fine. Please forgive me, Rei-senpai." He answered quickly, calming down.

"And what did I tell the both of you about calling me?" I hissed in hushed tones, pointing an angry finger at the phone, as if he could see.

"Ah, sorry, Anego. When we heard about the kira case we wanted to know if you would need our assisstance."

"...Okay, okay." I said calming down, "I expect i'll need you both soon-."

"Hey, Rei! Open the door!" The doorknob started jiggling furiously by Matt's hand, and by the look of it, he wouldn't stop til I opened the door.

"Senpai?" Isamu asked, confused at my long pause.

"Mission. Expect details in a few days." I quickly shut the phone closed, darting over to the door and letting Matt in.

"What were _you _doing?" Was Matt's first of...several questions...

"Changing." I lied, opening my cell-phone again.

"Hehe, really?" Matt asked, playfully tugging at the hem of my shorts.

"Hey!" I swatted his hands away, keeping my eyes on the screen of my phone; I was deleting all traces of my previous conversation.

"Then why are you playing with your phone?" Matt asked, curiously peering over my shoulder.

"The same reason you play with your video games." I answered, not really focused, while pushing Matt's head away. He threw himself onto the bed, "You have a tattoo?" He asked with a surprised tone, taking off his glove to drag his finger over the inking on my thigh.

"Yes. I do." I hissed, shooting him a glare.

Completely ignoring it, Matt lifted the hem of my shorts to see the entire picture, "A...dragon?" The black ink was shaped like a tribal tattoo, moving along my thigh.

"Yes, now cut it out." I smacked him on the head, "And move over." I nudged him in the stomach, forcing him to scoot into the further side of the bed.

"Do you have any other tattoos I should know about?" Matt asked _hopefully_.

"No." I muttered back; lying...again. My back was turned to him, a mistake on my part, "Your back proves otherwise." Matt smirked, quickly lifting the back of my tanktop to reveal an intricately tattoo-ed '13', sitting in the middle of my back.

"Okay, that's it!" I snapped, turning around to face him, "Liar." He snickered, wrapping his arms tightly around my limbs, "Asshole." I hissed, wriggling around, "Oh, c'mon, Rei, you must have another one..."

"Let me go, and i'll tell you where they are...!" I barked, ready to bite his head off.

"_They?_ And besides, that's no fun." Matt answered, frowning mockingly.

"Fine! Then let me go, or i'll kill you!" I was practically foaming at the mouth at the time, "You can't kill me without your arms and legs, even I know that, Rei." He said, matter-of-factly, pulling me into his lap.

"Who says?" I jerked my head back, hitting him in the chest; forcing him to let go of my arms. A quick elbow to his stomach and he was on his back, "**Never** do that, again." The poison practically seeped out of my eyes while I glared at him.

"You still have to tell me where they are." Matt choked out, managing a grin.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Only because it'll shut you up." I turned my back to him again, lifting my silver hair into a ponytail, "The kanji for warrior." I pointed to the character at the base of my neck.

I let out another long sigh, before turning to face him, "This is the last one." I glared, lowering the side of my shorts, just slightly. "A bullet." I said, quickly readjusting myself.

"Can I see the bullet again?" Matt laughed, resting his head on the pillow, "I don't get it, though. What does a dragon, 13, and warrior have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with alot more than you know." I sighed tiredly, my eye-lids drooping, while my head hit the pillow sharply. Matt let out a loud sigh from behind me, "Secrets, secrets, secrets." He grinned, burying his face in my head of grey hair.

"Matt!" Mello started screaming from the floor below us, obviously, freaking out; and after only about 5 minutes of sleep. "Rei!" I let out a whimper, putting my face further in the pillow, but the loud yelling continued..."C'mon...he's not gonna shut up until we go..." Matt mumbled sleepily, holding his hand out to me.

I nodded furiously into the pillow, wrapping my arms tightly around it. "If we fall down the stairs-hmph!-it's all your fault..." Matt muttered, carrying me on his back, pillow still attached to my head.

"A g-ghost?" A phrase that a good-half of the mafia members were yelling, at least, the mafia members that touched the Death Note...

"Ghost?" I picked, my head up, looking around with half-opened eyes, "What ghost?" I smirked, finding such a thing unfathomable.

"Hand it over." Mello said to the current holder of the Death Note, "Look." He said, handing it to me; I poked Matt's face with it, so he could share this horrendous vision with us. I leapt of of Matt, walking over to this so called 'ghost'.

"Not a ghost." I said, "A **shinigami**."

"A shini-what?" Mello repeated.

"A shinigami, death god." I explained, "I used to hear all kinds of folklores about it, well, in the short time that I lived here. Never thought they'd be real." I started walking around _it_, examining its every aspect. Figuring that a shinigami was of Japanese origin, I reverted to my first language, "Konnichiwa, shinigami-san." I bowed politely, "Watashi no namae wa Suzuki-san desu, O-namae wa nan desu ka?" [Hello, Mr. Shinigami. My name is Ms. Suzuki, What is your name?]

"Sidoh." That was the only response it gave, it continued to nibble on the chocolate it had found, presumably from Mello's room...

"Eigo o hanasemasuka?" [Do you speak English?] I asked, not getting too much information out of his previous response.

"Yes, I do." He answered short and simply in a kind of jittery voice.

I smiled simply, "Arigato, Sidoh, Sumimasen." [Thanks, Sidoh, excuse me.] And turned around to face Matt and Mello.

"What the hell did you just say?" Mello barked, taking a chunk out of his chocolate.

"That shinigami, Sidoh, obviously has something to do with this Death Note." I said unknowingly, waving it in my hand.

"Actually, that is my Death Note, and if you could, i'd like it back." He came...flying...up to me, very close. Sidoh towered over me, holding out long quivering hands like spiders.

"Rei?" Matt asked wearily, watching from the side.

I stepped back once cautiously, "You see, Sidoh, that's not really my decision." I stepped back further until I stood next to Mello.

"It's _his._" I smiled devilishly, smacking Mello in the arm with the Death Note. Mello snatched it from my hand, beginning a proposition with Sidoh, "Well, I'm obviously no longer needed here." I yawned, leaning on the banister with my arms folded over my chest. I spun around quickly, moving up the stairs, "I question the existence of shinigami..." I whispered quietly to myself, "Do you think L would've accepted a theory like that, Matt?" I started walking up the stairs backward, seeing Matt following at the bottom. Snickering and whistling followed us from behind bringing a smirk to Matt's face and an aggrivation to my head. That somewhat horrible flare of light shot into the room, "If anyone else wants to make something outta this, you can take it out with my Baretta." I blew the smoking end of my gun, tossing it into my room. "Oyasumi~." [Good Night~] I sang, proceeding with my walk. "Well..." Matt started, finally deciding to answer my previous question. "When you-" His sentenced was ended by the slam from my bedroom door.

"Rei!" He came up to the door, shaking the locked doorknob.

"You lost your sleeping privledges with that smirk!" I shouted back, pouting while throwing myself under the covers.

"Aw, c'mon, Rei. It won't happen again.~" He pulled out his cigarette and lighter, leaning on the door.

"Liar." I muttered, closing my eyes.

"Look who's talking." He retorted, trying to pick the lock.

"You have your own room, Matt. And I have a gun. Several guns."

"Okay, okay, but you know you'll miss me...!" Matt yelled, retreating to his room.

1. Anego means something like eldersister, but only used in gangs never at home.


	9. Level 10

"How the hell do you keep _that_ a secret?" Matt asked, still staring in wonderment at the shining glass building. I winced up at the windows, the light was bouncing off of them, "Before Watari and L passed away..." I paused, in a solemn remorse, "I asked Watari to secure the building, so by the protection of the Japanese government, no one knows this place exist." We walked up to the doors, that slid open automatically to reveal one room, empty, it appears.

"So this place isn't as nice on the inside as it is on the out..." Matt took a quick surveilance, still walking forward, "Hey, stop." I grabbed his shoulder, staring out into the blank space, "What? Will I crash into nothingness?" He asked sarcastically, _attenpting_ to amble on forward, "Before we got here, I told you that your chance for death rises about 50%. Now you're just pushing up to 80%." I smirked, still holding onto his shoulder tightly. "Look." I swung a pocket knife out, sticking it into the air. And in second, a hole was dissolved into the middle of the blade, "Infrared beams at temperatures high enough to melt almost any substance." With a swift motion, I threw the knife, (or what was left of it) toward the wall parallel to us, but before it could even reach it's target, it was turned into liquid before our very eyes.

"So how does this work? I don't see a door anywhere..." He looked side-ways and then up, only blue-ish patterned tiles lining the room. "Cool your jets, we'll be inside in a minute." I stood in a ready position, looking like I was about to jump freely into the ine of fire, literally, "Rei, you're not gonnna-!" Too late. A series of intracate and complicated flips had landed me on the other side, "Man..." I sighed, with a smile, "That was lucky..." I pushed a lock of grey hair out of my face, turning to face a touch pad, glowing dark green, with a grid pattern imprinted on it. "Begin." A female robotic voice sounded, as I placed my hand on the pad, a red light highlighted under it, getting all traces of my finger prints. "Confirmed." It sounded again, a small opening on the wall appearing , and sliding out was a scanner, a miniscule light just barely shining through, I lifted my strands of silver hair, scanning off the kanji on my neck. This excrusiatingly slow process was repeated 3 times over on my remaining tattoos.

"Confirmed. Welcome, Rei Suzuki." Smoke burst through as a red button appeared, I slammed my fist on it and the security measures had dropped. The door appeared visible, sliding open. "Rei-onee-san! You're home!" An elated young girl came running up to me, hugging my waist tightly. Her long dark ebony hair pooled at her shoulders, tied up in pig-tails; that look of sheer happiness quickly changed to that of extreme killer instinct, only an assassin could possess. "Intruder." She hissed, reaching for her pockets, "Doubting Rei-senpai's abilities, now are we?" I patted her on the head, smirking just faintly.

"Ah, no! Kai-chan would never doubt nee-sama!" She yelled out hurriedly, making a pleading face. I chuckled slightly, turning to face Matt. I gestured and he came walking wearily behind, "Where's Isamu?" I asked, looking around. It looked quite nice for the base of a band of assassins, "Rei-senpai, where's yours?" Kaida asked, pointing to a red scarf wrapped around her neck. "Right, forgot." I pulled my red bandana out of my pocket, smiling cheesily while tying it around my leg. Just as I picked my head up, a silver glare had caught my eye, "What the hell do you think you're doing, you psychopathic bastard?" I scowled at the shadowy figure standing upon the stairs.

"Ah, sorry, Rei-senpai...I just jumped to conclusions..." He said, blushing slightly while scratching the back of his neck. I held the shruiken in one hand, just a few inches away from Matt's head, "I'm starting to understand why I shouldn't have come." Matt muttered from behind me, edging closer. "Hello! My name is Isamu." The dark purple haired boy with reddish eyes held his hand out to Matt, "It's a pleasure to meet a friend of Anego." Isamu smiled delightfully with that disposistion he was famed for.

Matt took it, answering quite akwardly, "Matt. Uh, Nice to meet you too..." Tied around Isamu's rather muscular arm was a ragged carmine sash, much like my bandana and Kaida's scarf. Matt took notice, staring at the three of us. Matt took a long stare at Isamu's other arm and Kaida's calve-the tribal dragon tattoo was mimicked from myself. "Hey, Rei." Matt tapped me on the shoulder sheepishly, Kaida still leering at him from my side, "What's with the matching?" He tugged slightly, not to mention, cautiously, at my bandana. "It's the mark." I said shrugging, while raising my hands up in the air.

"C'mon, we should get back." I said, turning to the door, "Mello still needs to _interview_ you." I laughed smugly.

...

"Senpai, if I may ask; what mission is it?" Isamu spoke from the back seat, still smiling.

"Something to do with a raid...by the Japanese Task Force working on the kira case." I looked out the window, balancing my chin in the palm of my hand, "Risky, because it's the Japanese government...but, you'll be wearing masks anyways, and even if they tried to pin it on the Kyoudan, they'd never have proof. You do know about the complex details of the kira case, right?" I turned to face the both of them.

"Of course, Rei-senpai." Isamu answered; Kai was too busy glaring. Matt's car was pulling into the garage of Mello's hideout. "Hey, you." I pointed at her, "Quit it." I stuck my tongue out at Kaida, catching her off guard. "Hmph." She pouted, harshening her glare at Matt. "Oh, c'mon." I said, grabbing Matt's head under my arm, thankfully we were already in park, "You can't hate a face this kawaii." I pinched his face, showing Kai.

"Yeah, she gets it." Matt pinched my side, forcing me to release, "Ow..." I rubbed my ribs, and the four of us exited the car. "Hey, Mello, you wanted my kouhai, here you go." I pushed them both into the room, where Mello always sat. The mafia members watched us steadily, expecting a repeat of the day Matt and I had first arrived. "Yeah...i'll leave the "evaluation" up to you, boss-man." I sighed tiredly, sleep deprivation was a close friend of mine...

I trailed up to my room, Matt following close behind, as always. I fell hard unto the bed, my face making immediate impact with the pillow. "So...can I have my 'sleeping priveledges' back?" Matt grinned, edging into the room, "You owe me for driving you, anyways; so I shouldn't have bothered asking." He sat down on the bed next to my seemingly lifeless body.

"Uh-huh, whatever..." I mumbled back, keeping my eyes so tightly shut.

"Rei-nee! Rei-nee!" Kaida started screaming from down the hallway, Isamu trudging loudly behind her. I moaned softly into the cushions of my pillow, before reluctantly getting up. Before I could reach the door, Kaida forced it open. An immediate frown came to her face, while she and Matt went into a one-sided staring contest. Matt glanced up non-chalantly at her from his gameboy, while she stared with burning cerulean eyes at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

Oh, sorry, Rei-senpai." Isamu popped his head through the opening in the doorway, "Are we interrupting something?" He asked sheepishly, half-hiding his face. Matt snickered slightly, keeping his face buried in his DS.

"Shut up, Isamu!" I snapped, blushing just a little, while leaping towards Kaida. "And you." I stuck my finger between her eyes, "Cut it out." My hand shoved them out, while the other had closed the door, "What are you-Tch, you let Isamu carry all the bags?" I smirked at Kaida, taking their luggages from him.

"N-no! I'm fine, Senpai!" He answered hurriedly, trying to take the bags back.

"Relax, Isamu." I smiled, turning my head back to Kaida, "Why the hell were you screaming?"

"I wanted to know where we were sleeping!" She snapped back in a whiny voice, crossing her arms over her chest while blowing a lock of black hair out of her face, "If you intend on pouting all week..." I strode down the hall, both of them following diligently behind, "Leave." I glared at her, glancing downwards, "I don't need an assassin who's going to let anger get the better of them. Understand?" I kicked open a door to a room, it was dimly lit by the light from the windows, "It's nothing special..." I mumbled, flipping a light switch to reveal just a bed and a closet. Kaida stomped in, dumping herself on the bed. I grumbled to myself, turning to leave, "She'll be better later, Rei-senpai." Isamu gave a reassuring smile, starting to unpack his clothes. I sighed tiredly, "Yeah, sure..." I returned to my room, to see Matt sprawled on the matress, "You guys sound like one _happy_ family." He grinned up at the ceiling.

"We're so happy that my ears could crap sunshine and rainbows." I answered, raising Matt's arm and pushing it off to the side. I rubbed my hand over my face, muttering to myself about my _dear_ team member's recent indignancy. My face was sunk in the pillow, blowing grey hair out of my face, "I'm finding it kind of hard to believe that the brat is 2nd in line to you." Matt murmured to me, throwing his arms behind his head.

"She's the real deal...And don't say that in front of her, she already wants to kill you..." My arm hid the amber color of my eyes. "It's not like she _can_." He pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth.

"What makes you think that?" I answered, peering at Matt from the corner of my eye. "You won't let her." He smirked, "And even if she tried to fight you, she's only _2nd best_."

"Ah, people make mistakes, Matt, there's no guarantee I can stop her from assassinating you." I smiled.

"Heh, real funny, Rei..." Matt chuckled with the slightlest sense of nervousness in his laughter... 


	10. Level 11

"What a foolish mistake, Isamu..." I snatched his kunai out of mid air sending it flying straight back at him. From my side, Kaida came charging at me at full velocity to prep for a flying kick. "Hmph!" She jumped, positioning her leg. "You should know better..." I muttered, ensnaring her foot between my wrists; with a flowing movement, I threw her in Isamu's direction. As team mates should, Isamu caught her, tossing her back onto her feet; they held their fists raised, killer instinct coursing through their very body and soul. "Is that all you've got?" I asked in a disappointed tone, not once letting my focus drop.

They took this moment in all seriousness, even if it was just training. I whipped my pistol out of its holster, aiming quickly and accurately, firing several silver bullets. Kaida and Isamu split in opposite directions, avoiding each hit completely; leaving nasty bullet holes imprinted into the decaying wall of the third floor. I snatched my other gun out of my pocket firing simultaneously at the Kyoudan. "I wouldn't open the doors if I were you." The doorknob of one of the double doors began to twist, stopping at my immediate warning and the rapid explosion of bullets. I dropped my guns to the ground in the instant they emptied, the opening smoking with the scent of gun powder wafting through the air. Kaida and Isamu panted at the parallel position to me, not a single scratch upon their bodies. I gave a satisfactory smile, and took this as an opportunity to finish this session. I darted toward them; still trying despite their decreasing amount of energy. The side of my hand slid swiftly toward Isamu's neck, but before I could land the blow, he shot his hand out; twisting my arm behind me. Kaida followed up, sending a round-house kick to the back of my legs. I grabbed it with my free hand, smashing her body into Isamu's stomach. He lost his grip, doubling over in slight pain. "You lose." I answered, keeping Kaida nailed to the ground with my foot and Isamu to the wall with my arm. I released them both, picking Kaida up off the floor, "That's all-"

"Rei, what the hell did you do?" Mello shouted from behind me, staring incredulously at the bullet holes marking the wall. "Training's over." I finished my sentence, "Um, fired little pieces of metal in the form of bullets through the wall?" Mello rolled his eyes at me, "Look, I just need that girl-"

"That girl?" I questioned, "I'm sorry, she has a _name_ and it's not _that girl_." I smirked, waiting for his response.

"Okay, okay! I need _Kaida_ to make a bomb, that's her specialty isn't it?" He raised his hands up defensively, pointing at Kaida who was leaning tiredly against my side.

"Yeah, she'll do it, just let her take a break for an hour, they just got their asses handed to them." My face was painted with a grin, turning to glance at my kouhai.

"And no procrastinating this time!" Mello shouted before making his exit, "She's not Matt..." He muttered angrily, making reference to the web-cam.

"Ready to start walking again?" I smiled, dragging Kaida by the hand towards the door with Isamu walking cheerfully behind us, "Oh, why did onee-chan have to throw Kai-chan so hard?" She whined loudly, making me support half of her body weight.

"Ah, stop whining, Kai. I threw you into Isamu, he _should_ be hurting alot more." I glanced back at his smiling face, grabbing his shoulder, "Now go, rest, and we'll start with the explosives later." She stumbled back into their room, Isamu just almost _skipping_ behind her. I placed my hands behind my head, striding to my own room, 'Wonder where Matt is...' I stopped at my, more or less, room. The lights were off and by the diming sunlight coming through the windows, Matt's body could be seen, sprawled under the covers. "Damn..." A mutter escaped my breath, while I quietly pushed open the door. "Matt, are you awake?" My eyes were squinted, staring intently at his face; it was slightly difficult to tell if he was sleeping, "Nevermind..." I whispered, walking over to my closet. My hands were at the hem of my tanktop, when I snuck a glance at Matt again. I pouted out my lower lip, turning my back to him and slowly removing my shirt. Another tanktop was in my hands, when a voice spoke out from behind, "That's a _sexy_ bra, Rei." Matt mumbled, his head limply turned in my direction. I sighed, "You bastard..." throwing my other tanktop over my head and a hoodie over my arms.

"Where've you been anyways?" Matt yawned, sitting up under the sheets. "Training." My hands were sifting through a bag for my headphones.

"Aw, damn..." He muttered to himself, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused by his statement. The headphones were lying at the bottom of my bag, under piles of clothes.

"Y'know, it's kind of sexy when you fight." He responded, grinning widely. "Gross...that sounds like a weird sex fantasy..." I snapped my headphones onto my neck, standing up to make a disgusted face at Matt, "But then again, I don't expect anything less from someone who plays video games for 5 hours straight..." I started walking towards the door, Matt quickly following behind. "Going somewhere?" He questioned, walking by my side in a matter of seconds.

"City." The keys to my motorcycle were spinning around my finger, as we marched through the carpeted flooring to get to the garage. "Oi! What're you doing?" Matt scooped me over his shoulder, walking into the dark room where our vehicles were parked. "Mind if I tag along?" With his free hand, Matt fished through his pocket and unlocked his car. "You don't even like going outside!" I called from behind him, while Matt opened the door to the passenger's seat.

"But it's Japan, they've got like a million video games I haven't played yet!" He dropped me onto the leather seating, slamming the door shut as soon as his sentence ended. "Ah, so that's why you wanted to tag a long; so I could carry your piles and piles of video games..." I stretched my arms over my head, making an agitated face at the labor awaiting me. "You have muscles for a reason, Rei!" Matt yelled into my face, pushing his key into the ignition, "Yeah, it has nothing to do with me being an assassin...So, I'm assuming it's the same old 'battle' strategy: find your games, flirt with a sales-girl, get a discount, and leave without a trace." In all truth, a majority of Matt's dates in New York were sales-girls from the local video game stores..."As always." He answered, driving into the desert sand. I stared at my reflection in the window, dissatisfied with Matt's strategies. Taking notice, Matt tried to justify it, "C'mon, Rei, you must've done it once at the music store..."

"No, unfortunately, I'm not as underhanded as you are." I smiled smugly at him, returning my gaze to the window. "Come to think of it...when was the last time you went on a date?" Matt tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, as we were approaching the border of the asphalt road. My eyes widened just slightly as I thought back for a while, "Huh...5 months?" I questioned myself, "And no, it wasn't a sales-guy from a music store!" I whipped my head around, pouting at him. Matt turned onto the blackened tar, as soon as he had found an opening.

"Are you even trying to find a new boyfriend?" Matt continued, merging with the other oncoming cars. "Nope; and honestly, I don't really care." I answered, cracking my knuckles. "It's kind of surprising..." Matt stared out at the traffic in front of us. "Huh?" I looked at his face with a quirked eyebrow, "Well..." Matt took a pause, looking for the right words, "You're hot, and don't act like you don't know it...!" He muttered, glancing at me from the side.

I let out a sigh, scratching the back of my neck, "I mean...I have gotten alot of offers over those 5 months, but a good half of them were just random people on the street...I'm not gonna date someone I don't even know." The last part was scoffed, while I placed my chin in my hand. We exited onto the main road, stopping at a traffic light. "Then why not date one of my friends?" Matt asked, seeing as I had known a number of them. "Because you met all of them either over the internet on some RPG site or at the video-game store, I'm not dating someone who's 10 times worse than you when it comes to video game addiction!"

"Hehe, it was worth a try." Matt snickered, stepping on the gas pedal. "Forget it..." I said, closing my eyes, "Love doesn't mean anything to an assassin anyways."

"That sounds pessimistic." Matt replied, with the slightest tone of sincerity in his voice. He made a sharp turn onto a street layered with store after store.

"Well killing people isn't supposed to be _happy_ business." I turned my head, tapping on the window at a free parking space lined along the curb. "Then why bother getting started with it anyways?" He scowled, while parallel parking. "Dunno, can't really question it." My shoulders shrugged, and the car was at full stop.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt asked, slamming his car door shut and facing me on the other side of his car. "My childhood wasn't exactly perfect; I'm not too surprised that I ended up ki-doing what I do..." I rephrased my sentence, seeing as we were surrounded by a crowd of people. "So what? We grew up in Wammy's as orphans, and you're still the only one who ended up like _that_."

"I'm not an orphan, I'm _abandoned._ There's a big difference..." I mumbled, following Matt into the nearest game shop. He darted for the first, of many, aisles, fishing through the video games, "Yeah? So what's the _big_ difference?" Matt continued, tossing box after box of video games over his shoulder for me to catch.

"Your parents left you at Wammy's for a good reason; they weren't there to take care of you anymore. My parents ditched me because they didn't want me. Big difference." I looked off, cradling the boxes in my arms. My cell phone started ringing, the screen glowing a light blue. "I'll get it!" Matt responded eagerly, diverting his attention from his games for a second. "No! Take your stupid video games!" I threw a handful at him, fishing through my denim pocket, "Moshi, moshi, Kaida."

"Nee-san! Where are you?" She screamed into the phone, as if I couldn't hear her well enough.

"The city." I answered, holding my phone between my shoulder and face, just in time to catch another barrage of video games flying at me.

"Mello-san wants us to start the bomb, and Kai-chan wanted to ask Rei-nee for permission." She proceeded calmly. "Yeah, go ahead and start, expert-san.-Matt, that's it!" I barked at him, before he could lay his hands on yet another video game. Kaida seemed to growl on the phone, hearing my previous order-"Hey...She hung up." I pouted jokingly, shoving my phone back into my pocket.

"C'mon, Rei, I'll have all those games finished in an hour." Matt pleaded, pointing at everything I was carrying. "No you won't, by the looks of it, you won't even get one game finished by the hour." I looked at the title of one box, scrolled in Japanese on the side.

"What?" He exclaimed, outraged that I would question his gamer skills, "They're all in Japanese, dumb-ass. You don't know a single word of Japanese." I explained with a smug look on my face.

"That's what I have you for!" He replied, looking for an excuse to buy more games. "I'm not translating every word of every one of these freaking video-games for you!" I barked back, "I have a job to finish, y'know!" Thankfully the store was empty all except for a female cashier, they would've kicked us out of the store by now...Matt sighed defeatedly, re-adjusting his face into that of one with _boyish charm_. He strode up to the cashier, flashing a smile while I trudged behind him. I set the enormous pile in front of her, placing my elbow on the counter and looking the other way.

"**Isn't that your girlfriend?**" The cashier asked, catching onto Matt's little scheme, while she scanned game after game. "What?...N-no..." The answer from Matt came out kind of reluctantly as his eyes wandered to the back of my head, "Give it up, Matt. Japanese girls are just too smart for you." I smiled happily, tapping my fingers on the counter. "So you're not...?" She continued, staring at me with questioning eyes. "No, that baka over there is single." I said, pointing a finger at Matt. "But he is a kawaii baka, ne?..." She giggled, still scanning several boxes. I glanced over at Matt, who gave us a weird expression, "Hai..." I shrugged, earning another laugh from the cashier.  
>Death Note: A Christmas Short<p>

"NO!" I screamed, pushing my bedroom door closed, Matt pushing from the other side. "C'mon, Rei! It's Christmas Eve!"

"I don't give a shit! You're not sleeping in here!" I shouted in response to Matt's pleading, "You have your own room!"

"But I like your bed better~!" He pushed the door with all his force, while my feet started slipping on the wooden floor.

"No way! You always have some kind of Christmas prank planned!" Using all the muscle I had built up since childhood, I slammed the door shut, locking the door quickly, "Last year, you wrapped me in tinsel from head to toe and refused to let me go! The year before that, you stuck me in a box for the whole day, claiming I couldn't be opened till after Christmas!" I explained, crawling under the sheets.

"But this one doesn't involve wrapping you up or sticking you in places!" He jiggled the doorknob from outside, trying to pick the lock. "Then you really _don't have_ to sleep in here..." With my head buried in the pillow, I mumbled out to Matt.

"I saw _someone_ kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe...~" He started singing, moving down the hall towards the living room. "Tch, idiot..." I murmured, not bothering to understand what Matt meant.

My eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of Matt's holiday trickery; my limbs were free..._so far._ I lifted the sheets; nothing, then snuck over to the door, cautiously twisting the doorknob. "No way...-"

I stared at the top of my doorway and traveled along to the rest of the ceiling; all of it adorned with _mistletoe_. But before I could take a step further...Matt came out of nowhere, crashing his lips onto mine before I could even react. "Asshole..." I muttered through _our_ kiss, seeing as Matt was holding my face in place. "I'm sorry, I prefer the name Santa Claus." His lips curved into a smile, still attached to my own.


	11. Level 12

"What's a 'baka'?" Matt asked, breaking a long silence. His car was already striding through desert, only a few more miles away from the hideout, "Figure it out yourself." I answered, staring out the window at the glimmering stars above.

"Fine, then tell me what 'kawaii' means." He proceeded, taking a glance at me.

"I'll tell you what kawaii means, after you telll me what this meant: 'Isn't she your girlfriend?' 'What?...N-no...'" I spoke in dialogue with a mocking tone for both Matt and the sales-girl, turning to grin at Matt.

"C'mon, I was just _thinking_..." He tapped the steering wheel, the outline of the hideout just barely visible from our standpoint.

"About whaaat~?" I cooed, tilting my head onto Matt's shoulder.

"If you were really my girlfriend." He answered with confidence; surprisingly, "Admit it. You must've considered what it would be like to have _me _for a boyfriend."

"Yeah, sure...it's kind of hard to ignore that thought." My body seemed to relax just slightly and I kept my head resting on Matt's shoulder. "Cute."

"What?" Matt asked at my random verbalization. "Kawaii, cute." I repeated, lifting my head to look at the hideout, only a few yards away. The lights on the third floor were open and through the glass window, a shadowy figure was visible, "Hehe, crap." I laughed quietly to myself, imagining that figure with a pouting face.

...

"Where was Rei-nee all day!" Kaida screamed at me for playing hooky. I grinned cheesily, taking every one of her harsh words. "Isamu-chan and Kai-chan already fnished-!"

"I have sushi." I cut her off, bending down to eyelevel with her. "Huh?" She asked, unable to hear me through her volumized screaming, "Sushi." I tapped her head with a box full of sushi, tossing one at Isamu; they were infamous sushi-fiends..."So where's the bomb? I'll go finish the job..."They _tossed_ me the bomb, losing all common sense. "You guys have really out done yourselves..." I turned the miniscule explosive over in my hand, "You sure it's gonna blow out a majority of the hideout?" I questioned, still eyeing it curiously. Kaida nodded furiously, her cheeks full of rice and fish.

"Maybe we should change your name from little dragon to squirrel..." I smiled, exiting the room with bomb in hand. "Hey, Mello." I called out, marching down the stairs. "Here." The remote controller to the bomb was in my hand, outstretched to Mello, "Push the button and the place goes *KA-BOOM*." My hands gestured the exploding motion, while I pivoted to the main doors. "Mello, go get one of your little henchmen to get a ladder!" With the gesture of his gloved hand, one of the mafia went rushing off to find a ladder, returning in a matter of seconds. "Where do you want it, Rei?" He barked out, holding the ladder at his side. "Right here." I said plainly, frowning. He held the ladder out, looking at me; as if I would trust a mafia person to hold the ladder... "Leave." I ordered, hands on my hips. "But don't you need-."

"No. I don't, I needed the ladder to dismount off of." I replied, shoving him back into the room with Mello. From the safety of the door frame, the mafia gathered like an audience to see what crazy move I would pull next. I ran towards the ladder, rapidly stepping on the first few rungs and into a back-flip. My palm was pressed to the ceiling the moment it got the chance, and before anyone knew it, the bomb was attached to the base of the 2nd floor. I hit the floor on my feet with a reverberating shake. The mafia muttered some words to each other before collectively returning to their _work_. With my wincing face turned away, "Ouch..." I rubbed my ankles, sitting on the stairs; that jump was not one of my better ideas.

"Damn it!" A shout came from Matt's room, where those familiar play station noises could be heard through the door. "Getting tired of Japan, yet?" I smiled, placing my elbows atop the back-board of Matt's sofa. Losing at video games did not flow well with Matt, even if he had no idea what he was doing. "Gimme." I wiggled my fingers for the controller next to Matt's head. "No, I'm gonna beat this damn game no matter how long it takes!"

"You don't even know the name of this game, do you?" A sly smile swept over my face, while I climbed over the sofa, plopping down next to Matt.

"No, I don't, but what does it matter?" He yelled, furiously pushing the buttons on the controller. "Kingdom Hearts 2." I said, looking at the box art. "What?" He screamed, confused, "That's not Sora!"

"It's _Roxas_, you baka, now gimme the controller." I said, wiggling my fingers in front of his face again. "Fine." He spat out, throwing the controller of his PS2 into my lap. "Skip scene. Skip scene." Hitting the X button and moving the joy stick, I was moving through it far faster than Matt ever could. "Happy? There's your Sora." I pointed at the screen, where a spikey brown-haired boy emerged from a crystallized encasement; and shoved the controller back into Matt's hands. "Onee-san, onee-san?" Kaida, again, roaming through the hallways. "Ah, Kaida, she's in here with Matt-san." Isamu stopped at the doorway, pointing. I looked at Matt for some sign of an 'okay', "Yeah, go ahead..." He mumbled, returning into his _expert gamer_-like state. Kaida walked in with a frown, truthfully less harsh than previously, with Isamu, as always, following ever so cheerfully behind."Kai-chan couldn't sleep...and didn't want to leave Isamu-chan alone..." She mumbled, situating her head on my lap. Isamu sat on the floor next to my legs with a cheesy smile. Kaida's face had a frown plastered on it, even while she was trying to sleep. "Hey, fishy-face." I pinched her cheeks together, making her lips pout out. She let out a growl/pout, opening her eyes to stare up at me, "Stop frowning, your face'll get stuck like that." I leaned down to kiss her fore-head, which brought a light smile to her face. My hand stroked her black hair, lulling her to sleep in a matter of seconds. Isamu let out a monstrous yawn, ruffling his violet hair while his crimson eyes began to fall shut. For just this moment in time, the excited fire that played in my eyes so very often seemed to die down into a warm kindness, much like a...mother? Isamu's head was balanced along my knee, sleeping serenely, his muscles relaxed now.

"Hehe...mommy Rei~." Matt snickered quietly, tilting his head so it was resting ontop of mine. "Tch, shut up." I nudged him in the stomach with my elbow, still with that loving look in my eyes; staring down at Kaida's sleeping face.

...

"Rei?" Matt picked up his head, leaning over his PS2 to hit the power button, positioned at the back. He turned his head to look at me; I hadn't said anything for the past hour, and barely moved. I was in a daze, it seems; staring out into space with half-opened gold eyes, "Hey, Rei." Matt tried again, unable to tell whether i'd been sleeping. "Earth to Rei." He waved a gloved hand in front of my face, snapping his fingers as quietly as possible. "Hm...?" I asked drowsily, lifting my head to stare at him. "What's wrong with you?" He snickered slightly, popping the disk to _Kingdom Hearts II_ back into its case.

"Sorry, thinking..." I tilted my head back, rubbing my eyes. "What about?" Matt asked, regaining his seat on the couch next to me. "Stuff..." I muttered, burying my head into Matt's arm. "Sounds interesting." He mused, sarcstically, pulling his goggles off of his face. After a long pause, I sighed, speaking quietly, "What happens..._**if I make a mistake**_?"


	12. Level 13

The horrified shrieks and heart-attack induced wheezing reverberated throughout the entire mansion, that we called a hideout. I glanced up from a grided floorplan to glance at Kaida, who was staring at the door, "There's your reason to fight against kira." I spoke quietly, tracing my fingers over the white grid lines. She turned to face me with bright beryl eyes, a serious face on, "Let he without sin cast the first stone." I sighed under my breath, taking a pencil and sketching out an outline. "Kaida, 3rd floor, (34,14)." My pencil ran along the paper to the corresponding coordinate. "Isamu..." I took a pause to glance up at him, "2nd floor, (59,23)." Graphite lines ran along the page, mapping out our almost every move. "I'll be on the first floor...Wire-taps in every room; task force won't have time to scan for them." I took another deep breath, tapping the sharpened end of my pencil on the blue tinted paper, "If everything turns out right, we'll live to fight again." My eyes traveled along the wall, stopping at Isamu and Kaida, who were staring intently at me, frowning, "If not, you understand the consequences..." It only took one nod from each of them for a sufficient answer, "Kaida, what's the estimated perimeter of the explosion?" I continued, folding the floorplans into a neat square. "...About 50 square feet." She replied, thinking for a moment. "So, that's about 95% of this place..." I scratched the back of my neck, looking downwards. "Anyways, helmets, and headphones, at all times, I don't need to lose part of the Kyoudan to someone as childish as kira. The communication is established between the three-" I stopped, getting irritated with whispering, "Wake up, Matt." A quick elbow to the stomach knocked that red-headed teen out of his peaceful slumber. "Five more minutes, Rei, just five..." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his head to my lower back, I sighed, reluctantly, "Communication is established between the three of us and synched up to the wire-taps; when or if Mello plans to explode the bomb, evacuate as fast as possible. And one more thing...Avoid the fatal targets-I don't care if it is the Japanese Task Force, they're still fighting against kira." They nodded diligently with that same serious look on their faces, "Move."

Isamu and Kaida ran out the door to prepare for the battle at hand, "Trying to piss off Mello?" Matt asked, sitting up and pulling his goggles over his eyes. "No, I meant what I said." I got up, walking into my own room; returning with the bag of deadly _items_ that I had brought on our arrival. "What the hell were you talking about last night?" Matt yawned, combing his hand through his auburn hair. "I'm not the world's _best_ assassin." I answered, loading shells into a sniper rifle, "I'm the luckiest. I've only used the Kyoudan about 5 times in my life because..." A deep breath flew out of my mouth, "Because I think...they won't be...as _lucky._" The words were hard to find, and nearly impossible to say. I kept my eyes hidden behind a shield of silver hair, for once in my life, _**I was afraid I might cry.**_

"Y'know, just forget it." I told Matt in the time he was thinking, clearing my vision. I fished a headset out of my bag, attaching it to my ear. "Guess we should get ready, the time is almost here..." We rose from the couch and my bag lagged behind me, while we exited. "Testing." A voice crackled through the ear-phone of my head-set. "Test confirmed. Everything ready?" I asked with authority. "Yes, Anego, we'll get into position now." Isamu's and Kaida's voices answered, disturbingly, in unison. In a matter of seconds, the stomp of boots could be heard in a rhythmic pattern, one more fainter than the other. The sun was beginning to set and from the distance of the garage, a small black aircraft could be seen. The engines roared, while we sped through the desert far enough not to be affected by a possible explosion, "Enemy approaching, everything set?" I spoke into the microphone, trudging through the sand towards the base. Matt would remain in his car until the invasion was over...

The sound of whirring reverberated throughout the dying afternoon sky, while the Kyoudan 13 hid stealthily in the shadows: waiting, watching for their prey. Sidoh stood guard outside, not that he was actually a competent guard...Mello still sat in his lounging chair, his henchmen continuing to fall dead like flies. The faint noise of boots slamming upon the hard marble and stone floor moved closer and closer along the corridor. My eyes narrowed at the shine of several miniscule lights, "Grab the Death Note. Let's go." Mello ordered whatever mafia had been remaining, leaving myself to deal with the first _level_ of task force. Through the helmet on my head, I looked through the eyepiece, aiming carefully, missing purposely. My _miss-fire _seemed to startle the Japanese, who fired a frenzy of bullets in my direction. "What a waste..." I spoke, moving out from a completely different area into the dim light. "It's a...girl!" [1] A male voice shouted, shocked. "Sad." I swung my pistol out, cocking the gun, "You don't know who I am." They raised their guns wearily: could they bring themselves to shoot a young girl? "I can't blame you, kira's been stealing my business." I narrowed my eyes at them, removing the twin pistol that always rested in my back pocket.

A barrage of bullets flew at them, at incredible rapidity. A brilliant flare of orange and yellow sparking in front of me, "Isamu, targets' heading your way." I looked up the stairs, following the ceiling at the sound of footsteps. A loud sigh escaped my lips, while I trudged up the stairs reloading my pistols. All along the wall of the second floor, bullet holes or a projectile frozen into the wall; of course it had all missed, intentionally.

"Kaida, set." In seconds, the loud shriek of bullets searing through the air and small explosives sound through the air. "Don't kill them." I sighed, looking into the eye piece at the task force; they were entering the room Mello was in. Kaida sprinted down the hall, reaching the doors, "Anego, they blocked off the opening." Kaida said quietly, trying to force the door open. "Isamu." With only a look, he darted up the stairs to assisst. I took a deep breath, my eyes widening, "Tune into the wire-taps." I snuck down the stairs again, in utter darkness, seeing a red light blink on and off at the ceiling of the first floor. "Drop the switch, Mello." Soichiro Yagami's voice was crackling through the head set; Mello, not speaking at all. "Damnit, Mello..." I grumbled, unable to decifer whether or not he would explode the area. "Kaida, Isamu, begin evacuation." My transmition hit them both as they still tried in fixing the blocked off exit; Mello was cornered. Gun fire rang through my ears, when the transmission was switched back, I walked through the front door, still keeping out for a signal for explosion, "Chief!" A voice different from previously called out, "Who...?" I quirked an eyebrow, gazing upwards at the window. It seems as though Mello was buying time for a means of escape, any voice made inaudible by the firing of guns. With sharpened senses, the only noise I could've heard was a light click; the **remote**. "Damnit, Mello! Kaida! Isamu, get the fuck out of th-!" Before I could even finish yelling into the speaker, a flurry of flames and smoke blinded my vision. "Goddamnit..." My fists were clenched tightly at my sides, as I was thrown a few feet away by the sheer blast. I buried my face into the sand, cringing at what the future held...  
>1. It's hard to tell if Rei is a girl because it's dim-lighted and she's wearing a helmet! Not because she has a masculine body!<p> 


	13. Level 14

I gritted my teeth, my cheek touching the hot sand under me. The voices of the task force were worried, loud...hasty. They seemed to be rushing off to find medical attention. At the disappearance of their presence, I raised my hand to my headset, "Isamu...Kaida..." I rolled over onto my back, cringing at the sore sensation coursing through my muscles. No response. "Shit...!" I smashed my fist into the tender terrain, my eyes burning from either the sand or great animosity I was currently feeling. "Rei?" Matt leaned over me, his silhouette outlined by moonlight. "...I'm fine. Go look for Mello, he didn't have time to escape..." I sat up slowly, brushing sand out of my hair. "Don't be so stubborn." He replied, grabbing my arm and pulling me up, "You're bleeding." My body was covered in several cuts and gashes caused by flying debris, blood oozing out of the deeper ones. Matt looked as if he was about to carry me away, "Nevermind me...I have to look for _them_, too..." I turned to stare at the mixture of rubble and dust risen among the grains of this desert plain.

Ten minutes had already passed and we had no sight of any of them, until a flash of red had caught my eye. "Kaida." I fixated my glazed over eyes on her small body; pale and lifeless. In close radius...Isamu's body lay the same, "...Forgive me...for such a foolish mistake..." I stared down at the sand, kneeling at their sides. "I promise..." I carefully untied their carmine sashes, "Kira's death will belong to the Kyoudan 13." Their corners were clutched tightly within my hand. The fabric fluttered around in the light breeze, when Matt appeared, with Mello slung around his shoulder. Silently and avoiding eye contact, I strode towards my motorcycle, sitting there in the white moonlight.

"So, where to?" Matt asked, plugging his keys into the ignition. He looked up to see my bike speeding past him and accelerating. After a soft sigh, Matt followed, pushing hard on the pedal just to keep pace.

...

"Rei, you can't take down the security system in that condition." Matt stared at me, next to Mello, who could just barely stand on his own. Blood stained the once clean tiles lining the floor, my blood; and despite Matt's protest, I went through our cleverly planned laser grid, nearly missing my mark several times. When the security measure had finished full potential, the glass doors, tinted blue, slid open. "I'm surprised you haven't..." Within a few more feet, the blood loss finally started to make me dizzy...and eventually I ended up face first on the tile floor. "...fainted, yet." Matt finished his sentence, staring down at my body.

"Ow..." I muttered to myself, rubbing my chin. "You stopped bleeding before I could find any bandages." Matt leaned over the backboard of the sofa. "Fantas..." I sat up, too fast it seems, as my body started to wobble even while I was sitting. "...tic..."

"Don't faint _again_." Matt smirked, grabbing my hand before I could fall off the couch. I sighed, too tired and out of place to make a retort.

"How the hell did you afford all of this?" Mello asked, surprisingly calm, from his seat, one eye shut by a burn over his face. "Assassinating people isn't...cheap business." I stood up with a deep breath, grabbing the arm rest and moving toward a room on the parallel side to the front door, "Where are you going?" Matt asked, wrapping his arm around my waist before I could fall over...again. "To get...some freaking...bandages..." I panted out with a scowl on my face. We, well, I limped onwards to a touch pad; every door in HQ opened only to touch pad, and every touch pad only activated to _three_ hand prints, now, _one_. The door slid open, a light burst of smoke seeping out from the bottom of the door, "You're really prepared for every situation..." Matt sighed, dragging me inside a room, that one could find in a hospital.

"Never know what's gonna happen..." I flung open the a cabinet, tossing a roll of white bandages onto the table. "I think there's something...for Mello's burn...over there..." My panting became less severe, while I pointed to a cabinet to the right. Matt had left after a he had found it, leaving me to my solitude.

The bonding didn't take as long as I expected; Mello and Matt sitting in what was the living room, the murmur of the TV audible from my seat on the metal table. "Damn..." I chucked the roll back into its former place, throwing open the cupboard next to it. "B, O, AB." [1] I filed through a series of IV bags, my blood type located at the very back. The IV hung from the metal stand filled with red blood. I winced slightly, sticking the needle into my vein. While lying down on the metal table with my leg dangling off the side, I sighed to myself, pushing my hair out of my eyes. "I'm sorry, I can't cry...not even for _you_." I reached into my pocket, rubbing my thumb over my confiscated red scarves.

After cleaning out our first aid room, I made my way back into the living room, the door sliding shut behind me. "Where are you going now?" Matt turned his head, his DS in hand. I stood atop the glass stairs, my back turned to them. "I won't faint again, there's no need to follow." My answer was hollow with an edge of, unintentional, icyness.

The air of the desert was dry, slightly cold atop the ceiling of the glass building. I leaned along the edge, my face resting in the palm of my hand. I opened the screen to my cell phone, dialing in a number and waiting for someone to pick up, "This is 13 of the Kyoudan 13, I need to speak to an official of the Japanese government." In moments, a different voice emerged from the speaker. "...What does 13-san require from the government?" A male voice asked.

"Destruction of the Kyoudan 13 Head Quarters and the termination of government files on Nakamura Kaida and Kobayashi Isamu within exactly 24 hours."

"As you wish, 13-san. If I may ask, for what reason?" The government would follow my orders without question, provided they were in reason; fear is primal instinct.

"The Kyoudan 13 is no more." I answered with unfaltering confidence, "This will remain within the confines of the government, I will assume all duties covered by Nakamura-san and Kobayashi-san."

"Of course, 13-san." He hung up the phone, leaving me to gaze up at the sky with empty gold eyes.

...

"I thought I told you not to follow." I said monotonously, not turning to see Matt, who leaned on the door that lead to the roof. "You were up here so long, I thought you commited suicide or something." Matt joked, standing next to me with a lit cigarette in his mouth, "So...you still aren't going to cry?" He blew out a breath of smoke.

"No, never will." I replied numbly, leaning on the banister, that surrounded the perimeter of the roof.

"Not even when _I_ die?" Matt continued, looking partially serious.

I looked away before answering, "...I'd rather not talk about it right now." The sheer thought of losing the last person who meant anything to me sent a chill through my spine. I closed my eyes, resting my head on my folded arms. "Relax, Rei." Matt said, tossing his burnt out cigarette over the ledge, "I won't leave you~." He mocked, grinning at the back of my head. There was a long moment of silence, normally, I would've snapped back at Matt a long time ago, "...Rei...are you alright?" [2] Matt hesitated before asking, his voice truthfully sincere for once. "Rei?" He tried again after I failed to reply; nudging my arm. I tilted side-ways, lacking any balance, "I think that's the third time you've almost fallen today..." Matt sighed, carrying me close to his chest, sleeping.

In a weak moment of consciousness, I gave a reply, in a monotony, to Matt's previous mocking, "_Can you promise_?"

1. Yes, I did use the Japanese Blood Type Theory to figure out the blood types of Rei, Isamu, and Kaida; if you still don't know what i'm talking about, turn to wikipedia! 3

2. This isn't really important...but anyways, I would've had Matt ask: "...Rei...are you okay?" But I kind of felt the _rhyming_ would've ruined a scene, that I was trying to make emotionally deeper.


	14. Level 15

"Tch...what the hell was that...?" I rubbed my shoulder, making an irritated face. Something or, rather, _someone_ had scurried out of the shadows. It was New York at around maybe two in the morning, the streets were empty, or so I thought. I had to swerve my motorcycle, slamming myself into the cold surface of a brick wall. There was no response to my previous question. I dragged my bike away from the wall, "Damn...", sighing at the sight of a burgundy slash protuding from the pearly white surface.

"Sorry..." A weak voice had come out of nowhere; I narrowed my eyes, glancing back at the dark figure, standing only a few feet in the distance. It was a wonder that I had seen the kid at all, his purple hair and clouded ruby eyes blended into the background quite well. I turned around fully, detecting a hint of depression in his fragile voice. In that sallow face, left with no other place to return...I saw..._potential._

He looked up at me, the faintest appearance of emanation in those sullen eyes of his flickered under the dim glow of the lamp post. I took a deep breath, one that seemed far too elongated; and left an unfamiliar silence between strangers. "...What's your name?"

...

That story need not progress any longer, I jolted upwards out of sleep, a horrid sentiment lingering on my frigid skin. On the contrary, Matt laid quietly next to me, half of his head concealed under my pillows. "Damn..." I whispered quietly under my breath, narrowing my golden orbs at the shadows that were so intricately lined along the wood floor of my room, "So...what is it this time?" Matt groggily lifted the pillow off of his face, staring at me through the orange lens on his goggles. "Forget it...Just go back to sleep." I scowled, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Give it up already, Rei...Isamu? Or Kaida?"

"Just shut up and go back to sleep." I threw myself back onto the mattress, pulling the covers over my face. "What are you doing...?" Matt's arms embraced my waist closely, pulling me closer and closer to him. Until I could almost hear the drone of his heart beat humming inside my ear; a fast-paced, nicotine induced, beat. "Making sure you don't hurt yourself." I felt his chin resting lightly atop my head; and though it was hidden from the world by an aphotic shroud...my scowl slowly dissolved away. A defeated sigh escaped my lips and a tenuous half-smile masqueraded upon my face...It's too bad though, reality would intrude again when morning arrived.


	15. Level 16

The ceiling was bare, achromatic; sunlight bouncing off of its blanched surface. What a simple-minded thought. "Rei." Outside the glass pane, people were walking back and forth, up and down the gray-scale pavement. "Rei." I was laying in the window sill, that felt more like a glass menagerie with the white curtains draped shut. "Rei!"

Matt disrupted my quiet barrier from the outside world, throwing back the curtains. "What...?" I spat out, rolling my head on its side. "Look." He pointed at the TV in the living room, apparently it had caught both his and Mello's attention. My upper body dangled outside of the sill, my head turned to face the lambent television screen. It was the morning news, blaring across the bottom of the screen: BREAKING NEWS. And in center focus, three obscure figures stood atop a building, unidentifyable at the time. The newscaster on screen was revealing their _identity_, though she was repulsively incorrect; "The three, so-called, terrorists have been identified as Japan's Kyoudan 13, a league composed of three of the most accomplished assassins..." I put my hands to the floor, holding up the rest of my sagging body. _**It was disgusting.**_

The imposters had us marked down to our very black-inked tattooes and vermilion scarves, each in their respective places. Extreme vexation screamed inside of me and Matt and Mello stared at me, waiting for some kind of explosive outburst. I back-flipped slowly out from the window, walking with an eccentric calmness...until I reached my room. The closet doors were flung open, and in a blur I was out of bed-clothes, fishing through every deleterious blaster, equalizer, magnum, pistol, dagger, katana, nodachi, switchblade...[etc.]

"Rei, what are you gonna do?" Matt stood in the doorway, Mello vigilantly standing behind him. Even while searching relentlessly for two weapons in particular, I answered him back in a disturbingly quiescent voice, "I don't know if you understand...but I personally feel-" I had found what I was looking for: two twin katanas, "That impersonation is an ultimate disrespect to...each and every member of the Kyoudan. We've worked extremely hard to achieve such a name, and I will not have it smeared by a set of amatuers." I jumped down, my boots slamming onto the floor, while I dragged the two blades at my sides.

"So why are you using swords? Wouldn't it just be easier to snipe them?" Mello asked, bits of chocolate falling out of his mouth. "I don't want them _dead_. Not yet." I flung open the window, leaping out onto the fire-escape; it'd be easier to move through New York around the back streets. Still leering above me, Matt sighed, dropping his head in a stressed manner.

I jumped up over the balcony hastily, landing on the fire escape below ours; sliding down the ladder onto the next...and repeating the same pattern for 21 floors. The gravel crackled under my boots and snow drifted from the blanched sky-empty, white, and dead. I didn't know which building they stood atop, but the commotion was my compass. Loud shrieks and gasps escaped from a large crowd of people, erupting into the air. All easily audible from the alleyways in which I weaved in and out.

Getting up the building, without being noticed, was not an easy feat, but I managed, scaling up the glass windows, climbing up from ledge to ledge; a spider intricately spinning a web. And there I stood, cloaked with a garnet sash, face masked by the helmet I used for driving my motorcycle. My sudden appearance caused another wave of panic amongst the crowd and the three turned to face me, "13." Their leader spoke, by tone of voice, it was a male.

"So I was right." I tossed the sheathes off of the two katanas, "You know who I am."

"That's why we came to New York-to meet 13 face-to-face." Outside our conversation the crowd roared, but with the frustration spinning around in my head, it was all inaudible, "_And to remove you from your throne_."

Though they couldn't see it, I gave an unamused glare, "You talk too much."


	16. Level 17

There were several helicopters whirring around us now, camera-men standing practically outside their doors in order to get the best footage possible...yet, no one was trying to stop us. The SWAT team and NYPD surrounded the sky-scraper, at a stand-still. Our fight was becoming a spectacle for everyone to behold, putting excitement into their average everyday lives. "So, tell us 13-san, why is it that you're refraining from using your "speciality"?" That leader of theirs did all the talking...frankly, it was severly irritating. I'd already cut him several times, one would think he would need the oxygen to remain vital. "Ha..." I snorted smugly at him, staining the gravel rooftop with red splotches. "As if I need specialty to beat you."

"That's quite big talk from a queen that's lost her chess pieces." That had struck something; something deep-inside I suspect. My heart felt a small pang, and I stood still for a few seconds, remembering; I didn't come out here in the middle of a December morning for my own sake, but _theirs_. The other two who remained silent, tried to take advantage of this opportune moment, moving in closer range.

**Too close.**

I regained my senses again, slashing them quite easily. What a joke; they leered backwards in excruciating pain. "It's like I said, a pompous bastard like you, who runs his mouth in a time of silence..." The katanas shrieked against the rock, flying over it quickly, "Is just another annoyance I can rid the world of." He quickly whipped out a gun, firing a bullet eradically. I swiftly dashed out of the way, sending a sharp kick into his stomach. "Tell me..." With a blade pressed to his neck, he was in no position to refuse my command, "Just how much do you know?" The imposter's comrades lay on the floor, surrounded by a pool of fresh blood. They were of no use, even from the beginning, if they weren't going to blather on and on...like this imbecile.

"Everything." He smiled, "But I guess it doesn't matter anymore." I bent down over his head, snatching that mask off. The face looked vaguely familiar. "Your name, Suzuki Rei." I kept a stoic face on, staring hard at him, "Wrong."

"...What?" His face contorted slightly, utterly confused. "Get your facts straight, _kid_." I spit out, tossing his mask out over the ledge. "Could it be your bluffing?" An eyebrow was quirked, gazing at me with green eyes. "Ha, not this time." I looked up at the sky, then down below again; a thousand eyes watching us. "...This circus has gone on long enough...goodbye, _ring-leader_." Those emerald eyes were empty now, glazed over and looking up at the falling snow-flakes; ruby liquid dripping from his neck. It was only then that the crowd roared again and the police and SWAT team moved. I sighed, launching smoke-screen up into the air, "Poor unfortunate souls."

I walked around the alley ways, navigating slowly home. The pain from earlier was numbed by the icyness of the air, unfortunately it had also left a stinging sensation in my brain. I groaned a bit, grabbing onto the rungs of the ladder on the fire escape.

"That was a good fight, Rei." Matt leaned on the ledge of my open window, a cigarette burning at his mouth; he reached his gloved-hand out to me. "It always is." I smiled sincerely for the first time in awhile, grabbing his hand. It was too bad though, that smile soon faded into a cringe caused by tingling pain running through the nerves in my arm. "So, I guess they weren't amatuers after all." Matt grabbed my other arm, dragging me through the open breach. "Hey, you try fighting three trained assassins simultaneously and we'll see if you come back alive..." I sighed, partially leaning on Matt. Blood gushed out of my arm, dripping down to the tip of my middle finger and onwards to the wood floor. It was odd; I don't recall receiving that wound in the first place, maybe just an adrenaline boost that kept my mind distracted.

"Hey...what happened to you out there?" Matt snapped me out of my train of thought, his voice slightly muffled because he was sifting through all the junk we kept in the bathroom for a roll of bandages. "What?" I asked, puzzled slightly. The water in the sink became rose colored while I left my hand in the running liquid. "You spaced out when you were fighting before."

"Oh, right." The cameras weren't close enough for audio, so no one caught our little conversation. "I, I was just thinking." I diverted my eyes at the floor, pressing a wash-cloth to my open gash. "Heh...I thought they were gonna kick your ass there..." He laughed to supress the tense tone in his voice.

"So...I take it; you were worried?" I smiled playfully at my own face in the bathroom mirror, seeing as Matt had his back turned to me. "What? No, c'mon, you're _Rei_, miss untouchable." He waved his hands in the air for more emphasis...but his lie became evident after he hurriedly tossed a spool of white bandages, refusing to turn back around. It fell to the floor, bouncing out into the hallway, "Ah, sorry, my third hand couldn't catch."


	17. Level 18

"So, first, we're headed to Halle Lidner's place-Rei! Turn down your fucking music!" Mello was reviewing our plans for the kira case that would take place later today...my blaring J-pop and J-rock music (rudely) interrupting him. He pointed defiantly at myself and my laptop, sitting across from him on the dining room table, "Shut up! You're not Japanese!" I pointed back at him, not making too much sense, rather taking enjoyment out of this whole situation. In between our cross-fire was Matt, quietly playing his DS; it was a wonder how he could concentrate...Mello's head quickly whipped around to face Matt, he was mouthing some words to him, which I couldn't hear, but the expression on his face made it quite clear. Following, Matt stared at my face for a moment, illuminated by the beryl light glowing from the monitor; he cautiously reached for the side of the computer, searching for the volume control with his fingers.

I grabbed his arm before he could find it, throwing him to the floor next to me with a loud slam. He was left trapped under my foot, unable to move, "Coward." I glared at Mello, feeling Matt wriggle uncomfortably under my foot. "Just turn down your stupid music!" Mello clenced his fists and jaw, walking towards me with gripping animosity, "Make me." Matt was still on the floor, clearly unamused at our antics. Mello and I were both pulling on my laptop, I was surprised he could hold on for so long, but I suppose that's what anger does. This was like a scene from Wammy's House, Mello and I would grind out our differences every once in a while, unfortunately, Matt just happened to get caught in the middle.

It didn't mean we hated each other though.

"Give me the freaking lap-TOP!" While yelling at Mello, I let out a _provoked_ yelping noise, "You guys blow." Half of my body lay ontop of Matt and my computer was now in Mello's gloved hands. Matt yanked at my ankle, successively knocking me off balance. "Okay, okay, just give me the damn laptop and i'll leave you to your kira business..." I sat up on Matt's stomach, outstretching my hand at Mello, "Besides, you don't need me here anyways." We all stood right side up now, Mello taking great interest in the monitor, "What's this...?"

"A list." I answered, snatching back the computer and walking off. "Of what?" Mello continued, his curiosity piqued. "The world's self-acclaimed best assassins...other than myself." The TV still buzzed with the excitement of this morning's news, nearly every channel was displaying the rooftop and footage of the battle. Police swarmed all over New York, hastily searching for any traces of evidence I might have left behind; I may have saved the city from mass chaos, but I was still a blatant murderer.

The cushions sank in slightly when I plopped down on the sofa, turning off the media player...at Mello's request, "Hold on, what are you doing?" Mello and Matt were on either side of me, peering over my shoulder, "Don't you have some, y'know, kira, Near business to be taking care of?" I sighed, the monitor flashing with hundreds of pictures, normally of a shadowy, blurred figure holding a deadly weapon. "Fine!" Mello gave up, growing tired of my sass, "That guy from earlier, I saw his face, it was too familiar to ignore." I finally answered him, typing in a series of letters onto the keyboard. "He's dead, why are you still bothering?" Matt eventually spoke up, still playing his DS.

"Motive, I guess. It's not every day that people try to kill me, not unless they had a death wish...Found him." The photos stopped flashing onto the screen, freezing on a young man with viridian eyes and jet black hair. I stared pensively at the picture, not much information jumping out at me, "...Sebastian Micheals." [1] My eyes closed, brain sifting through past memories and otherwise. In the background, Mello and Matt continued talking about Near, and their discussion seemed to only last a few minutes, "Find anything?" Matt plopped down on the sofa next to me, glancing over at the portrayal of this young male. "A rat race." My eyes shot open, mouth grinning widely. "What...?"

"We were both hired at the same time by the same person to take out an important business man; to see which of us was the better...Old grudges die hard, I guess."  
>-<p>

1. I stole the name from a different manga...eh-he.


	18. Level 19

A loud sigh fluttered from my lips, long and exasperated. My arm was dangling off my bed, only an inch away from touching the furnished wooden floor boards. Oddly enough, we were ahead of time in accordance to Mello's agenda; my blonde and red-headed friends loafing around outside in the living room. I stared intently at the mirror on the night-stand, seeing not only a pair of gold eyes looking back at me, but a photo tucked in at the framing. It was taken only a few months after I had met them, "I haven't forgotten you...I never will." I began reasoning with, well, what seemed like myself; however, I felt as though if I tried hard enough, they would hear me from wherever they were. Two faces, both smiling and happy, vermillion and cerulean eyes glimmering with absolute glee. Air rushed into my lungs as I took in a deep breath, shutting my eyes, "Y'know, I miss having you guys around. Yeah, you were both pretty annoying sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way..." Another elongated hesitant pause, as though I could hear Kaida protesting in that high-pitched sqeal of hers. "I'm sorry...Again. I wasn't good enough, not enough to protect the people I love the most...!" I half-jumped, when a soft knock came to the door and the rustic colored door knob began to twist open.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Matt walked in, an amused grin plastered across his face. "What?...Tch, no." The door slammed dully behind him, the mattress tilting more towards the edge where Matt situated himself. He looked over his shoulder, to see what I was staring attentively at. "You changed their lives, y'know." He stated, stretching his arms high over his head. "I know." I answered solemnly, maybe missing Matt's true intention behind that statement. "_For the better_, I mean." Matt corrected himself, chuckling faintly. The air sitting between us was cold and thin, nothing more. Seeing as I wasn't responding, "Saved them from their former lives...and gave them a new one..." Matt sounded akward, this _emotional_ stuff wasn't his forte. "And then I took it away from them." My face was buried beneath the soft cushion of my pillow; self-pity is an unsightly thing. "C'mon, Rei, you can't fix it anymore. Just stop it." Matt's arms flailed about, frustrated with my incessant moping. We waited in silence for a few moments, unable to say anything more. "Why do you bother worrying?" A sudden gust of breathe blew a piece of silver hair away from my face, "Because you won't do it yourself." He stated matter-of-factly, falling back on the sheets.

My lips pouted out and then pursed themselves, knowing this was true. "You spend all your time worrying about everyone else. Even your job is about other people. But, that's why you keep me around." Matt grinned satisfied with his testimony to my _lack_ of selfishness, "Feeling better, now?"

"Oh yeah." I sat up, leaning on the back-board, "My ears are ready to crap rainbows and sunshine." Matt placed his head in my lap, "Then my job is fulfilled." He claimed half-mockingly, shutting his eyes. I stared down at his face, extraordinarily peaceful..._handsome_.

'Wait. What?' I mentally scolded myself for letting such a thought slip through my perfect barrier. Why would a thought like that come back after so many years?


	19. Level 20

"Rei." I could just barely make out my own name in the midst of my cat-nap; even so, I wasn't going to wake up. "Rei." A little louder this time, still refused to get up. "Ms. Ada-"

"Don't you _fucking_ finish that sentence." I clamped my hand over Matt's mouth, feeling the edges curve into grin. "Your phone's ringing." He reached for it with his free arm (I was borrowing the other for a pillow...), placing it in my hand. Listed under the "Missed Calls" was another of one hundred unknown numbers, but this in particular was special-the Cavallone Family. [1]

The Cavallone's were of the first people to assisst in creating my _spectacular_ history as an assassin. I pressed my ear to the cellphone, listening to a long-winded, specific explaination in the form of a voice-mail. "...Shit..." The phone clapped shut.

"What now?" The red-head next to me asked, blowing smoke rings up into the air.

"Another hit-"

"The hell are you both doing? We have to get to SPK!" Mello barged into my room, shouting his lungs out. "Drama Queen..."

"Get off your asses and let's go!" He barked, baring chocolate-stained teeth. The two best friends hesitated to stare at me, realizing I wasn't moving anytime soon. "Go without me-Something more important's come up."

"More important than Kira, and the safety of the free world?" Matt shook my shoulders jokingly with a smile plastered on his face.

"I don't always fight for the good guys." I stared at the floor, making up a plan for later.

"Will you come on already?"

"...Where're you going?" Matt continued, completely ignoring Mello's plea.

"You can't follow me." A few years ago, Matt and I had gradually come up with...an insurance; I told him basically everything about everything with few exceptions. It gave him some kind of peace-of-mind, I suppose.

"What?" He stepped back a bit, caught off guard.

"Just leave Rei alone, Matt!"

"This is special, you just can't tag along this time." My target was also an internationally elite assassin; our experience and power rivaled at times. An assassin's _record,_ over time, grows obsure; we cover our tracks well, "Just go before Mello has an anurism..." This situation was unnerving, to say the least-assassin vs. assassin is extraordinary. I pushed Matt all the way to the front door, where Mello stood waiting impatiently.

"C'mon, you can tell me~. I promise not to follow~." Matt dragged his heels along the floor, whining like a little kid, "I don't believe you." It took both Mello and I to cram our favorite gamer into the elevator.

"I'm not telling you so give up already." Matt's boots made loud squeaking noises across the floor of the lobby while we proceeded to his car. "Unlock your freaking car!" Mello ordered, reaching his boiling point.

"Not until Rei tells me where she's going."

"Just tell him already!"

"Hey, hey, you can boss Matt around, not me; if he doesn't wanna unlock his car, that's your problem not mine." I turned for the doors to the apartment, but not before hearing Matt's sports car unlock with a click. Mello slammed the door ferociously, fuming in the dark.

"Last chance to say something." How true. I narrowed my eyes at the floor, '_Last chance.'_

Some believe that if one was to repress their feelings, they would only come pouring out in the end or destroy one's entire being from the inside out. These feelings managed to stay secretly intact even after I left Wammy's House; however, _I refuse to be destroyed_. "Hey, Matt..." I called out, avoiding eye-contact while leaning on the front door.

**"I love you."**

[1] Yes, I totally stole that name from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. :P I'm bad, but anyhow, that name belongs to Dino Cavallone who belongs to Akira Amano.


	20. Level 21

Without waiting for his response, I returned to my apartment, besides, Mello had most probably shoved Matt into the car before he could even comprehend what was going on. I silently gathered all my artillery, setting off on what could possibly be my very last mission. At the moment, everything seemed surreal; death and love became too close and too instantaneous.

"...Jerk..." I whispered discontentedly, my voice muffled by my helmet. Because it was all I could think about, I was beginning to regret my actions. How could I say I loved him when I knew there was a chance I could die tonight? Why would I leave someone with a burden like that? **[1] **

My head suddenly jerked to the side, "What the hell was that...?" I felt the side of my helmet, where a curve just about the size of a bullet was located. Turning off the headlights, I swerved around, looking for who had the nerve to shoot that bullet. "Sorry, 13, I meant for that one to go straight through your little head."

"Are you losing your edge, Krone?" The connection to my head-set had been tapped. My motorcycle skidded to a halt while I fired bullets furiously. "You're such a messy kid, 13." Another bullet came searing through the air almost skimming my arm. "At least I can aim, jack-ass." I smirked, firing again in the direction of where the bullet had come. "You got me there. But..." Another motor came roaring around. "Isn't it experience that beats brute strength?"

"What are you? Confuscious?" The sound of rapid fire blew through the air, surprisingly no one dared to interfere. This is the kind of battle between experts that would wage on forever. I felt the warm blood running from my limbs, no doubt that Krone had the same sensation. Yet neither of us was dead. "This is getting tedious..." I panted out, removing my helmet. With that loss of blood, the only thing allowing us to remain consious was a massive adrenaline rush. I stopped, waiting. Waiting for the next bullet to tear through my body.

I felt the alloy ripping apart muscle, and in the few seconds of time that the bullet had left its gun and entered my body; I aimed, pulling the trigger.

Everything started spinning and turning into a black abyss. The crimson liquid poured from my lower stomach, spillig out onto the black pavement. "..._Sorry_."

I woke up, gasping for air, "Shit!" With stitches in my stomach and bandages on miscellaneous parts on my body. I was at home again, a large silver suitcase sitting ontop of the table next to my phone. Popping open the latches revealed a sum of approximately $50, 000. It could only mean that the mission was completed successfully. I picked up my phone at the sound of its familiar ring tone. "Hello?"

"Rei, it's Mello. Me and Matt are in LA-"

"What do you mean you're in LA?" I shouted into the receiver, clutching at my stomach. "We're here for the kira case, now shut up and get your ass over here!" Slamming the phone shut, I threw it back to the table, "Sure, i'll just go to LA with a hole in my stomach, Mello..." After fuming for a moment, I grabbed the phone from the table; limping down the hallway.

[1] By burden, I think I meant...well, um...I guess it's like this: When you tell someone what's bothering your mind or heart, you pass on the burden to that someone. It effects them too in some way...so, I guess that's what I meant...haha. Yeah, just in case you didn't know... :B Like me. Go read the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne! Haha.


	21. Level 22

"...What happened to _you_?" Mello inquired, giving me an odd look as I got into his car. "Absolutely nothing." I smiled menacingly, frowning again; Matt was not here.

"Matt's at the warehouse, spying on Amane Misa, the girl who's supposed to be the 2nd Kira." Mello explained between his gritted teeth and a chocolate bar.

"Oh...hey, isn't she like a model in Japan or something...?" I answered disappointedly, airing out my discontent with mindless hand gestures.

"Yeah; you'll be staying at the hotel where the task force is stationed. Since you're the least known out of the three of us."

"But how'd you afford the hotel room? Are you with another mafia or-" I ran my fingers over the band-aid placed across my nose.

Mello smirked evilly, "You're also the only one out of the three of us who can afford this right now."

"Bastard...making _me_ waste my hard earned money..." We turned onto a crowded street, tall skyscrapers scattered along the block. "That's it." Mello pointed out the window at one distinct building; people buzzing in an out of the double-doors, "So get out." He stated abruptly.

Grabbing my bags, "Oh gee, thanks, Mello. I love you, too." I grinned mischieviously, slamming the car door shut, possibly leaving a dent in the black surface.

After much negotiation and baggage carrying, I was finally free to relax in the privacy of my suite; if I had to stay in a hotel, I may as well spoil myself. However, my room had coincidentally been set on the same floor as the Japanese task force. I wandered over to the window, staring at the warehouse that sat on the corner of the block. Releasing a sigh and a rueful smile, "I don't blame you for avoiding me." The sky turned a gloomful gray, threatening to cry at any moment now.

Loud laughter snapped me from my daze as I jerked my head to stare at the wall. Could that be Misa Amane? A knock at the door distracted me from my thoughts. "Ms. Suzuki." I cracked the door open, seeing a hotel personel waiting. "Yes...?"

"A delivery arrived for you." He replied, gesturing towards the elevators.

"...Damnit..." I heaved a heavy sigh, staring at the wrecked piece of metal curbed at the street-side. Kneeling down, I further inspected the fore-mentioned object; running my fingers across the once pearly surface, "What a pain in the ass." My eye-brows furrowed together.

"Looks like you tore up Manhattan." A familiar voice approached from behind, stopping next to me.

"Always do." I replied, squinting under the street light. "Glad to see you're concerned about the condition of my motorcycle." Sneering playfully, I turned to face the red-headed smoker.

"Hey, I love that bike as much as you do." Matt answered sarcastically, stubbing out his cigarette.

"I see, but what're you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be watching _kira_?"

"There are cameras." He whined, following me up the front steps to the lobby.

"Mello's still gonna kick your ass." We stepped into the incoming elevator, moving passed the lower floors.

"Suite?" The doors opened, "How much did you earn this time?"

"About fifty grand." I slipped the key into the slot.

"Pricey." Matt didn't hesitate sinking into the sofa at the first opportune moment.

"If you're good at something, don't do it for free." [1] Looking down at my sleeve, I groaned quietly; one of the wounds on my arm had probably opened. "What happened?" Matt tilted his head back to stare at me.

"Hrm, nothing." I called out from the bathroom while re-stitching the opening. "You ever plan on quitting?" Matt instantly appeared at the door, arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"No...Why?" My eyes narrowed at this question. "Nothing." He shrugged, "Just thought you'd be tired of getting cut up all the time."

"It's not like _you're_ getting hurt, so don't worry about it." I bit through the surgical thread, rebandaging my arm. "...Don't worry about _me_."

1. Haha, that's from the Joker in _Dark Knight_. It makes sense when you think about it. lol.


	22. level 23

"Cut it out." I repeated again, glaring at the red-head sitting across from me. Irritating was the only proper way to describe this situation.

"Cut what out?" He replied innocently, tilting his head to the side. We'd been arguing for the past half-hour.

"Stop staring at the bandages." Sighing, I slumped further into the sofa.

"You're not worried about it, someone should be." He shrugged, continuing to watch me.

"I said..." Taking a calming breath, "That I didn't need anyone to worry about me; including you."

"It's hard to _love _someone without worrying about them." Matt whispered non-chalantly, setting his hands behind his head.

"What?" I hissed heatedly, rubbing my temples.

"I said..." The gamer repeated in a mocking tone, "It's hard to love someone without worrying about them." I didn't respond, only flinching at the shift of weight on the couch and shutting my eyes tightly. This man I had lived with for almost my entire life still continued to utterly confuse me; maybe that was why I had fallen in love with him. And yet even after I had heard that one word, _love_-though not in the sentence I had hoped for-I could not shake the angry disposistion plastered on my face.

With a groan and a sigh, I grabbed the sides of my head, "Why the hell did you have to go through that entire fucking argument if you just wanted to say-!" Matt collided his lips onto my own moving ones; staining my cheeks with a soft blush. _SLAP!_

"Oww~." The red-head fell back onto the sofa, rubbing the large hand-shaped mark on his face. "...What was that for?" He chuckled, grinning.

"You expect me to forget about this whole argument just because you shut me up with a kiss!" I fumed, sitting atop Matt's stomach.

"...Yes?" He stated simply, pulling my face forward into another kiss.


	23. Level 24

"...Why?" [1] Matt repeated for the hundreth time, even after we had (oh-so-stereotypically) "kissed-and-made up."

"Because I didn't have a reason to live; and even if I did, I didn't see it." I answered with a sigh, feeling the weight of Matt's hand on my head.

"Why not just...commit suicide...? Takes alot less work..."

"Says the lazy ass." I shot him a look. "Besides, may as well go out in style and have fun doing it-And anyhow, you came along and screwed everything up."

"Hey." The red head called out defensively. "It worked out for the best."

"Hey." I softly nudged the sleeping figure next to me; waiting for some kind of response. Blinking groggily from behind those orange lenses, Matt rolled onto his back-not seeing the _crucially_ serious situation at hand.

"...Your blonde boyfriend is here to kill you." I pointed non-chalantly at a particularly angry Mello, returning my hands to my laptop.

"You fucking idiot!" Mello barked, whacking Matt across the head. "I told you to watch Misa Amane!" He hissed in hushed tones, pointing sharply at the wall.

"I was. Just not from the warehouse." The gamer stated, albeit cautiously. This in turn earned him a pistol whip and a fair amount of physical abuse.

"I bet neither of you even know where she is now!"

Seeing as Matt seemed too afraid to answer, I piped in, "No idea at all." Mello fumed once more. "...How come you're not looking for her...?" I deadpanned, shutting my laptop closed.

"Shut up." He grumbled, shoveling a bar of chocolate into his mouth. "Just get out there and find her!" Matt rose from the floor without hesitation, adjusting himself, and Mello laid his piercing glare on me.

"Make me." I challenged, rising from the sofa. In a knee-jerk reaction, Mello reached for his gun. "You might die before you actually get me out the door." He grumbled incomprehensibly, shoving Matt out the door. I walked over to the bathroom-wondering when Mello had become so whipped.

1. The reason Rei became an assassin...if you didn't get that. :B


	24. Level 25

"It's not a job, it's a _favor_. So why don't you just shut the fuck up, Mello?" Hanging up on the chocoholic, I jammed my phone back into my pocket. Misa Amane was gawking at the displays in store windows; a task force member in tow. I tailed behind her; dressed in a nicer attire than my usual shorts and tanktop.

"...How much longer do we have to keep this up...?" I slumped down, exasperated, watching the supposed "Second Kira" oogle at _yet another_ clothing store. Fortunately, she spotted nothing eye-catching in the window display and veered off further down the boulevard. Upon further investigation (stalking), Amane MIsa and the task force member were leaving for the hotel; It seems as though her endless shopping spree has finally ceased.

With a relieved huff, I spun off in the opposite direction; weaving through the crowds of people to reach my destination.

"What're they doing...?" Quietly mumbling to myself, I walked inside the warehouse. Mello and Matt were in a peculiar position; and with my assassin-acquired stealth, I crept up onto the sofa racked with discarded potato chips and crushed soda cans. "...y'know, I always thought Matt was seme." [1]

"When the hell did you get here!" Mello exploded, whipping around to stare at me with a burning expression.

"Just now-Why? Was I interrupting something~?" I flashed an amused smirk at him.

"You're supposed to be watching Misa Amane, you retard."

"While you laze around here with _my_ boyfriend, you homo?...Besides, take a look at the surveillance camera." I pointed sharply at the equipment facing the hotel building.

"...Fine. I'll start heading back now." Mello replied gruffly, a sinister smile on his face.

"So...how many health code laws have you violated today...?" Peering over at Matt, who laid on the floor with a video game console in hand, I lifted a half-emptied bag of chips with some sort of creature rummaging through the remains.

We sat in a comfortable silence until dusk came; save for the white noise from the TV or video game. Somehow, we both managed to be sitting on the small couch at the end of the day. I had my legs drawn up to my chest, while leaning on Matt's shoulder. My eyes glazed over, watching half-mindedly as some random show played on the television. After feeling Matt's arm around my shoulder and nuzzling into his camel-colored vest, I drifted off into sleep; for once, not worrying about anything.

This is how it used to be.

1. I will not corrupt your mind by telling you what 'seme' means if you don't know already. X) Yes. I realize this statement totally contradicts what happened in the last chapter.


	25. Level 26

"Damnit."

"Shit."

"Fuck." Somewhere in between this string of curses was lost a conversation between Mello and Matt. I wriggled around on the sofa cushion, controller in hand, staring at the TV screen. The unrelenting, blaring red letters "GAME OVER" popping up onto the monitor.

"...Then why don't you switch places with us? At least you get to eavesdrop on a cute girl." Matt promptly snatched the abused controller from my hands just before I could smash it into the screen. A few seconds later, "WINNER" popped onto the screen, "...Your games are stupid anyways~..."

"Can't you go spy on Misa Amane instead of sitting on your ass!"

"Not unless you plan on paying me." Flipping a page of a random manga, I shot a look at the fuming blonde leering above me. "...and get the hell out of my 'personal space', before I kick you in the crotch." While non-  
>chalantly shuffing away from me, Mello grabbed Matt by his sleeve, tugging him outside the door. "This would work alot better if you weren't such a jack-ass, Mello..." I tapped the track pad on the laptop sitting so conviniently next to me and a black and white live video-stream of Misa Amane popped onto the screen. After a number of taps on the key board, a couple of other screens popped up; revealing the a hallway in the hotel, the lobby, and the main entrance.<p>

"Huh...?" Watching the video feed for a couple of hours, I realized the task force member, who was with Misa Amane earlier, had been missing from view for the past two minutes. Checking all the screens and the individual cameras stationed at the windows, he and another task force member appeared at the front of the hotel. They seemed to be discussing something serious; not a public matter judging by the way they were shifting about. I walked over to the camera pointing in their direction. "...Misa...doesn't seem...kira..."  
>Attempting to mouth-read, I muttered the conversation to myself.<p>

Matt and Mello reappeared at least two hours later, talking quietly to each other. Until Mello abruptly stopped, "...You had video surveillance of the entire hotel this whole time...?" He appeared to be twitching.

"If you weren't such a jackass I would've told you before." I mused, laying across the couch in the center of the room. Mello gritted his teeth, slouching into a nearby chair. Matt followed, sitting on the part of the couch I hadn't occupied, they started up their conversation again; this was all going to come to an end very soon. 


	26. Level 27

"...I figured, after the diversion, you could escape down the back street with Kiyomi Takada; there's too many obstacles for a normal police car to avoid..." I traced a fine line with my index finger across a map, tucking a lock of silver hair behind my ear.

This must be the only day; the only day that we've been unsure. When we were kids, the three of us were always at the top of our class; we were always right, and there was never any second guess. Today is supposed to be different.

"How's Matt gonna escape?" Mello shifted his feet on the coffee table, folding his hands behind his head. The wild chase would undoubtedly end soon.

"...he should be able to drive straight through all the way to the parkway; the police'll be too busy trying to figure out how to catch you." Matt glanced up from his game, only to look back down a few minutes later.

"And what're you gonna do while all this is happening?"

"Kick back and watch." I shrugged, combing a hand through my hair.

Mello scoffed, "You're not much different from kira then, huh?" He flashed a snide half-grin.

Matt paused his game before eyeing us. After thinking for a moment, "Guess so." I leaned back onto the chair, "But there's a difference between acting like God and trying to be Him."

"Kiyomi's almost in position. Are you ready?" Myself, Matt and Mello were speaking to each other through a speaker system; Matt and Mello were driving towards Takada's soon-to-be location. I waited quietly in a shadowy corridor. My motorcycle was leaned up against the brick wall beside me; long since repaired. "About one more minute in counting."

My headphones began emitting soft noises; a soft roaring that may have been the riot caused by the smoke-  
>screen being shot into the air. "I'll take her." Mello spoke lowly, and within earshot came the sound of police sirens. I hissed, hastily boarding my bike, "Cops." A red car veered down the street.<p>

"Alot of 'em." Matt's muffled voice echoed in my ears.

I gave a resigned sigh, "...I miscalculated..." The sirens stopped blaring and just within view was a formation of police cars.

"Rei, i've got Takada. What's going on over there?" Mello almost barked into his speaker.

"There are more cops than I anticipated..." I growled in an irritated tone, twisting the key in the ignition.

"They got me cornered, Rei." Matt's voice was unnaturally collected.

"So just wait there and-" I could feel my heart constricting within my rib cage. Air was too difficult to breath. A quiet clicking noise sounded in the background. "Stupid...!" I bit, twisting onto the dead asphalt.

"Since when were the police allowed to carry guns?" Matt stepped out of his car, cigarette hanging limply from his mouth. I gripped onto the padded handles of my motorcycle, pleading for it to move faster. I weaved past the stalled cars, until Matt came clear into vision. A few dozen officers in black suits were pointing their guns at him.

"You guys probably want to know about the kidnapper-" This was the time to press pause.


	27. Level 28

A few dozen officers in black suits were pointing their guns at him. "You guys probably want to know about the kidnapper-" This was the time to press pause.

A single shot stopped everything. The police were stunted, their expressions hidden by tinted sunglasses. I accelerated past the circle of officers; the feeling of cold searing metal marring my lower back.

They could just barely grasp their senses; some had their fingers wound tightly around the trigger of their guns. A good number of them were trembling-amatuers. Holding an obsidian orb in my hand, I drove towards the red vehicle in the center of the elipse. "Hurry up and get on." I barked through gritted teeth, tossing the smoke-screen onto the ground. We burst through the illusory block with ease, leaving the cops to shoot around blindly.

"That was one hell of an entrance, Rei." Matt anounced, tightening his grip around my waist. I could feel my heart sinking back into my chest while turning onto the same back-roads that Mello used earlier. Swallowing air into my lungs, I breathily spoke, "Mello."

"What the fuck happened to you guys?"

"Doesn't matter. Just ditch the communicator, no doubt the cops are gonna get their hands on it any minute now." I reached up into my helmet, crushing the small piece of technology between my fingers before Mello could even respond.

"You know, you've been kind of quiet this whole time." Matt partially yelled from behind me; we weren't driving at full speed, but the wind was still buzzing in our ears. I looked into the crossroads of the alleyways, checking to see if anyone was stupid enough to follow us, before completely shutting off the already dimmed head-lights. The key clicked in the ignition and the bike made a full stop in the darkness. "...Any reason you're stopping?" I removed my helmet, taking in a huge rush of air. My face was warm.

"Off." I commanded in a stern tone.

"What?-You're not just gonna leave me here? Are you?" Matt complied, his eyes wide and questioning. I stood up after him, he couldn't see my facial expression, only a gold tint from my irises. "Rei?"

"..." I took a deep shaky breath, clenching my fist until my knuckles turned white. My view was towards the ground. "You dumb little shit!" I shot my fist straight into Matt's gut, sending him reeling back onto the grimy brick wall. "What the hell did you think you were doing back there!" [1]My cheeks glimmered in the little moon light that peered through the clouds. "You knew they were gonna shoot, regardless of what you would've said!" Matt slumped upwards, trying to stand up straight again. "You knew you could've died back there...but you were just being a selfish idiot..." I uncurled my fist, dropping my head.

"...I'm still alive, Rei." When he finally regained proper balance, Matt suffocted me in a warm embrace. I simply stood there with my face buried in his vest. Matt leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of my head while stroking my silver hair.

"You can stop crying, Rei." He whispered gently; as if it was supposed to be a secret, just between us.

1. I BET YOU ALL WANTED TO YELL THAT AT MATT WHEN HE GOT OUT OFHIS CAR. :)  
> <p>


	28. Level 29

I stared at the ground in disdain. There wasn't much else I could do. The abandoned church where we were supposed to meet Mello had long since been set ablaze. Matt was surveying the area for any trace of Mello or Kiyomi Takada, a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. "Who're you calling?"

"...Near."

"Are you sure about that?" Matt dropped his cigarette to the floor, crushing it under his heel.

I took a deep breath, "I don't...There's nothing else we can do...-Near." A monotonous voice came in reply, "I don't know how much you know, but Mello's gone...probably murdered..." I swallowed thickly, scratching the back of my neck. Near mumbled something back and if it weren't for my well-trained ears, I might not have caught it, "Do you have a definite lead on kira now?" There was a hesitant pause, "Daikoku Wharf, Yellow Box Warehouse, on the 28th." I looked up at Matt, who had already taken out another cigarette. "We'll be there."

"What now?"

"...we're going to Japan."

"...Boss only agrees to transport you to Japan because of the numerous tasks you have performed for us, Suzuki-san." A suit-clad man solemnly spoke in Japanese. We were standing inside a yakuza-owned aircraft.

I chuckled slightly, "I wouldn't have called if I didn't know that already." The man nodded before walking towards the pilot.

"What was that about?"

"Payment." I stared at the small window just to the left of Matt's head. "Uh...we're here." The lights from the plane glowered on the ground just below us.

"So I guess we go meet Near and the SPK now." A group of men dropped the metal landing onto the soil. They surveyed the area, stopping when they noticed a dark car parked and waiting.

"Or they meet us...?" The yakuza almost immediately pointed their guns at the vehicle; unfaltering, even when the owner stepped out. "-I'll take care of him." I grabbed the gun tucked away in my back pocket.

"Consider it payment." I grinned at the man who seemed to be the leader of this squad of gangsters, "I'll dispose of the body as well...-Hey, you!" Pointing my gun at the man who exited the car, I waved off the mafia. "Back in the car. And if you intend on using that gun in your coat, your death will just end up all the more painful."

Once the door was shut, I pointed the pistol at this man's head. "You're not serious-" And pulled the trigger.

"Suzuki Rei, nice to finally meet you. My apologies for before, but the yakuza aren't fond of foreigners, commander Rester." Matt mumbled his alias as well, before twisting the key in the ignition. "Glad to see you didn't flinch at a blank." I dragged my slender fingers across the cool metal of my gun.

"So you would be '13'?" Rester spoke, running a hand through his hair.

"The one and only."

"And you're the third successor to L?"

"Yeah." Matt turned a corner onto a busy street. "-I can't believe you left my car back there...where am I supposed to find another one like her?"

"...her?" I stared at the gamer incredulously, rolling my eyes at him.

"It's hard to believe you're both almost as smart as Near..." Commander Rester mumbled under his breath, arms folded.

"What?" We stared at him in an unamused fashion, still stalled in traffic. [1]

"Nice to see both of you again." Near sat on the floor with his toys surrounding him, his finger twirled in a lock of his grey hair. "Thank you for bringing them here, Commander Rester."

"Same." I strode forward, idly looking around the place. "I take it, thanks to our little stunt, you know who exactly kira is now."

He sneered knowingly, "Correct. With help from Gevanni, Linder, and Rester as well." He grabbed one of his toy figures, pushing it over, "Yagami Light."

"...Soichiro Yagami's son?" Matt asked, inspecting his lighter.

Near gave a small nod, popping the heads off of his toys, "Commander Rester will explain the plan taking place in a few hours."

"Alright." I shoved my hands in my pockets, glancing at Near. "Just one more thing." Everyone seemed to tense up, except myself and Matt that is, "For what happened back in New York, I still want something in exchange." I lowered my gaze, lacking a demanding tone.

"What is it?" Rester folded his arms across his chest.

"...Yagami." I choked out, glaring angrily, "I want him dead."

[1.] I could picture that in an anime chibi sort of fashion. :D


	29. Level 30 End

"Dead?" Linder repeated, trying to look for some emotion in my face.

"Exactly."

"Don't you see the moral ethical problems with th-?" Gevanni spoke, not bothering to move.

"You think I have any ethical problems with killing?" Crossing my arms, I spun around to face them. "It's my job, my life."

"Even so, we'll still have to interrogate him and put him on-"

"Once word gets out that Yagami Light is kira, do you know how many people will want to kill him?" My eyes flared with a burning intensity, "Assassins like me and regular people. On top of that, there'll probably be a war between kira's followers and the anti-kira groups.-You really think the government can stop something like that from happening?" They looked away bitterly, except Near.

"Are you saying that you want to kill Yagami Light?"

"Tch." Near smiled from under the shadow of his hair, while I glanced at him with a disdained half-smile, "I never said I wanted to kill him, I only want him dead-if it's by my hands...then that's just a bonus."

"You're the one who left it there..." I mumbled, tapping the top of my helmet.

"You could've went back there to get her." Matt snapped back, "I bet she's being impounded right now..."

"You're just lucky your ass isn't grass." Revving my motorcycle, I popped my helmet on, "Forget about your damn car and go ride with Near and the others." Matt begrudgingly trudged over to the black car door, dragging his boots along the way.

The ride to the Yellow Box Warehouse wasn't long. The skies were pale grey and full of clouds. If anything, the trip was stress-filled; if Near was right, (which he normally was) everything would be over. Everything we literally poured our blood, sweat, and tears into for the past year would be summed up on this one day. And the warehouse just sat there. In the middle of an abandoned plot, a dingy pale colored building rotting with the passing time. We parked just next to the warehouse, out of view from the public roads.

"Guess we're early." I looked back at Near and the others. Rester pulled out a set of keys from his jacket pocket, walking towards the front entrance.

Slinging his arms around my shoulders, Matt asked, "Ready?"

I replied with a sigh, tracing his arms with my hands, "Ready as i'll ever be."

The inside of the warehouse was not so different from its exterior. There were stagnant puddles everywhere and the scurrying of rats in the far corners. Near removed a mask, very similar to L's facade, putting it on with an eerie smile. He methodically placed two finger-puppets on his hand, crouching on the floor. "I don't even want to know..." I muttered quietly, taking my place behind him with the rest of the SPK.

Matt stuck a cigarette between his lips, and not a second later the front door opened to reveal the Japanese Task Force. "Near." A man clad in a suit stood in front of all the other task force member; it was Light Yagami. Another man, presumably 'Matsuda', made some remark about Near's mask, followed by the others chiming in. "And I thought you said only members of the SPK would be here..." The stared at Matt and I, looking uncomfortable.

"This is Rei Suzuki and Matt." Near answered calmly, "I assure you they won't cause any trouble." Resisting the urge to blow out Yagami's brains right then and there, I shifted my weight from side to side, gnawing my bottom lip. "After all, if kira saw them as a problem, he would've killed them before we came here."

"...So what is it you wanted to show us, Near?" The sound of his voice was overbearingly confident.

"I feel confident that both kira and the one working under his vision, x-kira are present." Near began knocking the figures-all with a creepy resemblance to everyone in the room-over. "So with the exception of myself, it is possible that everyone's names have been written down in the notebook and could die at any moment now." The toys rolled back and forth on the cement, "With that being said, the only two who'll be left alive will be me and kira; this also means kira could dispose of me with the notebook carried by Aizawa, however, I don't think kira can kill with only a face." The sounds of dripping echoed in the room,"So please allow us to wait one hour to see if anyone is being controlled and dies." The task force broke into an outburst again, arguing with Near about his mask and information about kira.

"...Near, it been well over 30 minutes."

"I supposed it's safe to say that no one is being controlled by kira, here." He reached for the draw-strings at the back of his head, removing his mask; beneath it, he revealed that smile of his.

"So what is it you wanted to show us, Near!"

"My apologies, but you'lll have to wait just a little while longer." Near tugged on a lock of his hair, "We need to wait for our circle to be complete." Near went on to explain the arrival of x-kira. Unable to control my reflexes, I snuck a glance at the side door; it cracked open to the point where it was practically unnoticable. My fingers twitched achingly, I balled them into a fist; I needed to shoot that damned bastard and tear that smirk off of his face.

"Near!" Aizawa lunged forward a bit, "If we all know about the notebook, wouldn't that mean that x-kira would have to kill is all?"

"Correct. Which would mean absolute victory for kira." Little beads of sweat slid down their faces, "That's the only reason kira came here, of course."

"You've got to be kidding! You can't expect us to just wait here and die!"

"We can't just let kira win like this!"

"Yes. So if you do what I say..." Near continued with the plan, "He's already here." A single line of light spread out across the floor.

"This is bad, guys if we let our names be writt-!" Matsuda jerkingly pulled a gun from his inside pocket, prompting a response from the rest of us.

"Please don't move." We pointed our guns at them; the soothing familiar feeling of cold metal in my palms calmed my senses.

"Don't worry, you won't die and the shadow over kira will be removed."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We modified the notebook." Near claimed simply, "In a minute, the person outside that door will look inside to check if we're all dead." In a hurried frenzy, the members of the Japanese task force pointed their guns at the door.

"...Whoever's outside...have you finished writing our names down?" Yagami stared at the floor, the sides of his mouth convulsing slightly.

"I have."

"Isn't that a little strange?" Near looked up from the floor, "That he'd answer you so honestly?"

"Maybe he's simply an honest person. Or maybe your plot had some room for other options."

"Teru Mikami. Please come inside. Since you've already written our names down, you have nothing to fear." The door rushed open to reveal the disheveled prosecutor.

"At your command, God." He had an admiring smile plastered on his face, and was staring at Yagami.

"How much time has it been since you wrote down our names?"

"35...36...37..." Only 3 seconds remained.

"Near, victory is mine...!" Light declared maliciously, glaring at the detective on the floor.

"40." The pained expressions on their faces, clearly signified that they anticipated death to come and take them.

"We-we're still alive?" Matsuda stared at his hands, as if he was checking to see if he was still there. And Yagami's face contorted twistedly.

"Why? Why won't they die?" Looking as if he was on the verge of weeping, Mikami stared horrifically at the notebook then at Light, "I...I only did as you wished God..."

"Rester, Gevanni, detain Mikami." While Yagami was clenching his fists, Near proceeded with his plan, "Hand me the notebook.-Observe for yourselves." He held up the notebook, "The first four names are without a doubt the real names of the SPK members. The following two, Reiko Adachi and Mail Jeevas, are indeed Rei and Matt's real names. The only name missing...is Light Yagami." Everyone turned to stare at the suit-clad man, "It's settled."

"-A TRAP!" He yelled suddenly, "It's a trap! I don't even know who that is!" Mikami's head fell. Matsuda dropped to his knees, and Mogi and Aizawa made a move to hand-cuff kira. "S-Stop it!" He swatted them away, desparately clinging to the metal door. I pointed my gun at him, quietly biding the time until he would die. Near removed the real notebook from his shirt, turning his head.

"As I have the real notebook, ever since you walked in here, i'be been able to see the shinigami-Hello, shinigami." He started asking questions of the death god about the notebook, thinking quietly before, pointing, "Light Yagami, you are kira." Near lifted up his finger puppet of Mello. "You're wrong. It was all thanks to Mello, Matt, and Rei. Take a look at the first line." Across the top, Kiyomi Takada's name was written next to her time of death, "When Mello abducted her, Mikami withdrew the real notebook and wrote her name down; the moment Mello took Takada, you lost your only means of communication." Lidner confessed to a conversation with Mello earlier, when we were still in LA. "It's because of Mello, that this was all possible...Mello could never surpass me. He believed surpassing me would mean surpassing L. Perhaps I lacked the dynamics and Mello lacked composure, but together...we've surpassed L. We were able to obtain the concrete evidence on kira that L could not." And to twist the knife further, Near challenged him, "If you can talk your way out of this, please do."

Kira fell to the floor, laughing maniacally, "...That's right...I am kira.-in that case, what will you do? Kill me here?" I grinded my teeth together, squeezing just a bit harder on the trigger. "I am kira...and God of this new world." He propped himself up once more. "Are you really going to kill me? Is that okay?" My breathing picked up, and my rib cage tightened. Throughout kira's entire speech about being justice, being God, there was one single thought plaguing my mind, possessing my emotions, "Do you think anyone else using the notebook could go this far! Complete this objective!...Think, do you want the world to return to its rotteness? If it's just to avenge L, then that itself is stupid."

"No." Answering clamly, Near placed a finger on his toy, "...you're just a murderer, not God. And this notebook, it's the worst killing device ever made." He smushed the toy between his fingers, "If you used the notebook for your own personal gain, then maybe i'd have considered you a normal person. But you lost yourself to the shinigami, the notebook, the mistaken belief that you could become God...A crazy mass murderer. That's all you are. Nothing more." Kira was thinking, biding his time, by arguing with Near over morals and God; he was like some miserable rat trapped in a maze, looking for one more way out.

He started to walk away from the door, attempting to manipulate us into believing the other real notebook was not here.

"Light Yagami, i'm only concerned with catching you, I don't care if the notebook is real or not. All that matters is that you've been caught."

...What was with that look in his eyes?

"Well, whether or not the notebook is real, it wouldn't hurt to check, right?" He started to walk away again. I quirked my brow, his eyes expressed something that was all too familiar to me-the joy of killing ones prey. But how was he possibly going to kill Near? He had no notebook, if he had a gun, he would've used it by now...Just the faintest clicking noise interupted my thoughts.

"There's a piece in his watch!" I aimed quietly, but before I could shoot, the chance was already taken. Touta Matsuda, in a bout of rage, shot a bullet at kira, barely bothering to be precise.

"Matsuda! You idiot!" Yagami clutched at his bleeding hand, "If you're gonna shoot at anyone, shoot at them! What are you doing!"

"You killed your own father..." Matsuda shook uncontrollably, tears running down his face

"Soichiro Yagami died as a foundation for the world!" Kira's fingers were soaked in blood. He moved toward his watch.

"With blood-!"

"Don't waste your damn bullets..." I called out, looking with rage at Light Yagami, his stomach wretching blood because of one bullet shot, my bullet. Matsuda ran up to him frantically, holding his gun, "I've gotta kill him!" He pointed it at Yagami's neck.

"Matsuda-san!" I yelled at the distraught man, "If you kill him now, you're no better than him...Do you want the feeling of killing someone out of revenge on your conscience!"

He fired, just missing by inch before everyone dragged him away. Kira pleaded for Mikami, as Aizawa picked up the piece of the Death Note. "Mogi, Ide, let's aprehend kira."

"What! No! Get away from me!" He crawled on the floor, in a pool of his own blood. "Where's Misa! Takada! Someone kill them! Anyone!" Yagami stared at me for a moment, "You! You're an assassin, right! I'll give you anything you want, if you just kill them all!"

"Tch." I looked away, "I'm not so selfish as to take orders from a murderer even lower than myself. Especially one who's already lost."

He looked up. "Ryuk." A grin crept up onto his face, "Ryuk! Write their names into the note book! Now, Ryuk!" He reached upwards, "Please! Do it now, Ryuk!"

"Ok. I'll do it." Was the shinigami's silent reply. I put my gun back into my pocket; shinigami don't take orders from humans. "What!" A look of horror struck Light Yagami's face. "Ryuk! Stop it!"

"Guess the shinigami's tired of you, Light Yagami." I mused, watching the crazed fool, "You lose, Yagami."

"I don't want to die!" We all stared at him, Matsuda evoking just the slightest feeling of pity. He froze in place, hand clutching at the air. And then it was over.

I glared at the red numbers on my alarm clock. Has it really been exactly one year since kira was killed? Matt slept quietly, holding me close to his chest. Groaning silently, I rubbed my face and carefully crept towards the door of my room. "You look nice wearing my clothes, maybe you should try it more often." The gamer sat up in bed, grinning proudly.

"And maybe you should try being naked more often." I pointed lazily at him, even though the striped shirt sleeve covered almost all of my hand. I turned to open the door, while Matt, still grinning, reached for the clock on the side table.

"Why're you up so early anyways?"

"You know it's been one year since the business with kira, people are still talking about it." I shuffled towards the living room, curling up on the sofa. Echoing from the hallway, another set of footsteps followed.

"...Matt...go put on some pants..." I called out with an unamused expression on my face. A short buzzing noise grabbed my attention, "Near...-Hello?"

"There's a drug bust happening at Yellow Box warehouse. Perhaps you and Matt wanted to join in?" Near's knowing smile could practically be felt via phone.

"Yeah...We'll be there." I had a determined smile etched onto my face; maybe it was destiny that we were fated to go back to the same exact place.

"What was that about?" Adjusting his belt with his goggles hanging loosely around his neck, Matt asked.

"Near wanted to know if we wanted to join in this drug bust...at Yellowbox Warehouse." I turned to face him.

"Guess it's game on."


End file.
